title: Polyaspartamide-Polylactide Graft Copolymers with Tunable Properties for the Realization of Fluorescent Nanoparticles for Imaging.
abstract: Here, the synthesis and the characterization of novel amphiphilic graft copolymers with tunable properties, useful in obtaining polymeric fluorescent nanoparticles for application in imaging, are described. These copolymers are obtained by chemical conjugation of rhodamine B (RhB) moieties, polylactic acid (PLA), and O-(2-aminoethyl)-O'-methyl poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) on α,β-poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl)-D,L-aspartamide (PHEA). In particular, PHEA is first functionalized with RhB to obtain PHEA-RhB with a derivatization degree in RhB (DDRhB ) equal to 0.55 mol%. By varying the reaction conditions, different amounts of PLA are grafted on PHEA-RhB to obtain PHEA-RhB-PLA with DDPLA equal to 1.9, 4.0, and 6.2 mol%. Then, PEG chains are grafted on PHEA-RhB-PLA derivatives to obtain PHEA-RhB-PLA-PEG graft copolymers. The preparation of polymeric fluorescent nanoparticles with tunable properties and spherical shape is described by using PHEA-RhB-PLA-PEG with DD in PLA and PEG equal to 4.0 and 4.9 mol%, by following easily scaling up processes, such as emulsion-solvent evaporation and high pressure homogenization (HPH)-solvent evaporation techniques.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, via Archirafi 32, 90123, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Emanuela Fabiola
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Craparo
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, via Archirafi 32, 90123, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Porsio
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, via Archirafi 32, 90123, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicolò
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mauro
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, via Archirafi 32, 90123, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giammona
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, via Archirafi 32, 90123, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Gennara
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cavallaro
mesh_terms: D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D011091:Polyesters; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry; D011102:Polyhydroxyethyl Methacrylate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers; D011102:Polyhydroxyethyl Methacrylate; C023037:poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate); D019344:Lactic Acid; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; C033616:poly(lactide)
keywords: fluorescence; nanoparticles; polyethylene glycol (PEG); polylactic acid (PLA); α,β-poly-(N-2-hydroxyethyl)-d,l-aspartamide (PHEA)