title: Polymeric micelles for acyclovir drug delivery.
abstract: Polymeric prodrug micelles for delivery of acyclovir (ACV) were synthesized. First, ACV was used directly to initiate ring-opening polymerization of ɛ-caprolactone to form ACV-polycaprolactone (ACV-PCL). Through conjugation of hydrophobic ACV-PCL with hydrophilic methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG) or chitosan, polymeric micelles for drug delivery were formed. (1)H NMR, FTIR, and gel permeation chromatography were employed to show successful conjugation of MPEG or chitosan to hydrophobic ACV-PCL. Through dynamic light scattering, zeta potential analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and critical micelle concentration (CMC), the synthesized ACV-tagged polymeric micelles were characterized. It was found that the average size of the polymeric micelles was under 200nm and the CMCs of ACV-PCL-MPEG and ACV-PCL-chitosan were 2.0mgL(-1) and 6.6mgL(-1), respectively. The drug release kinetics of ACV was investigated and cytotoxicity assay demonstrates that ACV-tagged polymeric micelles were non-toxic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, United States.
authors.forename: Alicia J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Sawdon
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, United States. Electronic address: cpeng@mtu.edu.
authors.forename: Ching-An
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Peng
mesh_terms: D000212:Acyclovir / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D004337:Drug Carriers; D008823:Micelles; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D066244:Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D004337:Drug Carriers; D008823:Micelles; D011108:Polymers; D000212:Acyclovir
keywords: Acyclovir; Chitosan; Methoxypolyethylene glycol; Micellar drug delivery; Ring-opening polymerization