title: Doxorubicin-loaded micelles based on multiarm star-shaped PLGA-PEG block copolymers: influence of arm numbers on drug delivery.
abstract: Star-shaped block copolymers based on poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) (st-PLGA-PEG) were synthesized with structural variation on arm numbers in order to investigate the relationship between the arm numbers of st-PLGA-PEG copolymers and their micelle properties. st-PLGA-PEG copolymers with arm numbers 3, 4 and 6 were synthesized by using different cores such as trimethylolpropane, pentaerythritol and dipentaerythritol, and were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance and gel permeation chromatography. The critical micelle concentration decreased with increasing arm numbers in st-PLGA-PEG copolymers. The doxorubicin-loaded st-PLGA-PEG micelles were prepared by a modified nanoprecipitation method. Micellar properties such as particle size, drug loading content and in vitro drug release behavior were investigated as a function of the number of arms and compared with each other. The doxorubicin-loaded 4-arm PLGA-PEG micelles were found to have the highest cellular uptake efficiency and cytotoxicity compared with 3-arm PLGA-PEG micelles and 6-arm PLGA-PEG micelles. The results suggest that structural tailoring of arm numbers from st-PLGA-PEG copolymers could provide a new strategy for designing drug carriers of high efficiency. Structural tailoring of arm numbers from star shaped-PLGA-PEG copolymers (3-arm/4-arm/6-arm-PLGA-PEG) could provide a new strategy for designing drug carriers of high efficiency.
authors.affiliation: The Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biomaterials, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Tianjin, 300192, China.
authors.forename: Guilei
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: The Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biomaterials, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Tianjin, 300192, China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: The Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biomaterials, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Tianjin, 300192, China.
authors.forename: Linhua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: The Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biomaterials, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Tianjin, 300192, China. sunhongfan@aliyun.com.
authors.forename: Hongfan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: The Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biomaterials, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Tianjin, 300192, China.
authors.forename: Cunxian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: The Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biomaterials, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Tianjin, 300192, China.|Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: The Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biomaterials, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Tianjin, 300192, China. kongdeling@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Deling
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kong
mesh_terms: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004337:Drug Carriers; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D019344:Lactic Acid; D008823:Micelles; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer
chemical_list: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D004337:Drug Carriers; D008823:Micelles; D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D019344:Lactic Acid; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D004317:Doxorubicin