A well-defined poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether-b-poly(lactic acid) copolymer (mPEG-PLA) featuring a new, Y-shaped, architecture with a hydroxyl functional group between the two blocks has been prepared and thoroughly characterized. The functional copolymer was then readily coupled to diglycolyl-cabazitaxel. The resulting copolymer conjugates assembled into stable and monodisperse nanoparticles (NPs) in aqueous suspension. The architecture of the copolymer conjugate is shown to impact the spatial distribution of the drug within the nanoparticles. With the Y-shaped architecture, cabazitaxel was found localized at the interface of the hydrophobic PLA core and the hydrophilic mPEG corona of the NPs, as substantiated by variable temperature NMR analysis of the nanoparticles in D2O. Preliminary in vitro release studies reveal dependence on the architecture of the copolymer conjugate. This new approach offers promising perspectives to finely tune the position of the active ingredient in polymeric nanoparticles.

A general methodology was proposed to prepare highly functionalized poly(alkyl cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles by means of Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cyclo-addition, the so-called click chemistry. To achieve this goal, different protocols were investigated to obtain azidopoly(ethylene glycol) cyanoacetate of variable molar mass, followed by a Knoevenagel condensation-Michael addition reaction with hexadecyl cyanoacetate to produce a poly[(hexadecyl cyanoacrylate)-co-azidopoly(ethylene glycol) cyanoacrylate] (P(HDCA-co-N 3 PEGCA)) copolymer, displaying azide functionalities at the extremity of the PEG chains. As a proof of concept, model alkynes were quantitatively coupled either to the P(HDCA-co-N 3 PEGCA) copolymers in homogeneous medium followed by self-assembly in aqueous solution or directly at the surface of the preformed P(HDCA-co-N 3 PEGCA) nanoparticles in aqueous dispersed medium, both yielding highly functionalized nanoparticles. This versatile approach, using alkyl cyanoacrylate derivatives, opened the door to ligand-functionalized and biodegradable nanoparticles with "stealth" properties for biomedical applications.

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