Poly(γ-benzyl-L-glutamate) (PBLG) derivatives are synthetic polypeptides for preparing nanoparticles with well controlled surface properties. The aim of this paper was to investigate the biodistribution of pegylated PBLG in rats. For this purpose, nanoparticles were prepared by a nanoprecipitation method using mixtures of different PBLG derivates, including a pegylated derivate to avoid mononuclear phagocyte system uptake. The morphology, size distribution, and surface charge of the nanoparticles were investigated as a function of the amount of polymer employed for the preparation. Moderately polydispersed nanoparticles (polydispersity index less than 0.2) were obtained. Their size increased with polymer concentration. The zeta potential values were negative whatever the formulations. The availability of polyethylene glycol chains on the nanoparticles' surface was confirmed by measuring the decrease in bovine serum albumin adsorption. For in vivo distribution studies, pegylated and nonpegylated nanoparticles were prepared with polymer mixtures containing PBLG-fluorescein isothiocyanate and imaged by fluorescence microscopy to measure their accumulation in liver and spleen tissues of rats after intravenous administration. Injection of stealth formulations resulted in negligible fluorescence in liver and spleen compared with nonpegylated formulations, which suggests that these nanoparticles are promising candidates as a stealth-type long-circulating drug carrier system and could be useful for active targeting of drugs while reducing systemic side effects.

In the present work the complexation mechanism between (+)-usnic acid (UA) and cyclodextrins (CDs) has been investigated by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and phase-solubility diagrams using pH as a tool for modifying the molecule ionization. ITC experiments have been employed to evaluate the stoichiometry of interaction (N), affinity constants (K), and thermodynamic parameter variation associated with complexation between (+)-UA and alpha-, beta-, HP-beta-, SBE-beta-, and gamma-CD. It was shown that (+)-UA did not interact with alpha-CD and tended to interact more favorably with gamma-CD (K = 1030 M(-1), DeltaG = -17.18 kJ x mol(-1)) than beta-CD (K = 153 M(-1), DeltaG = -12.46 kJ x mol(-1)) forming 1:1 complexes. It was also demonstrated using ITC and solubilization experiments that chemical modifications of the parent beta-CD resulted in stronger and more spontaneous interactions (K = 281 M(-1), DeltaG = -13.97 kJ x mol(-1) for SBE-beta-CD and K = 405 M(-1), DeltaG = -14.87 kJ x mol(-1) for HP-beta-CD). Analysis of the thermodynamic data suggested that van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds were responsible for the formation of complexes with a predominance of van der Waals forces. Finally, pH induced modifications of (+)-UA ionization provided important informations relative to the topology of the interaction between (+)-UA molecule and the gamma-CD cavity, which were confirmed by molecular modeling.

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Drug delivery represents one of the most important research fields within the pharmaceutical industry. Different strategies are reported every day in a dynamic search for carriers with the ability to transport drugs across the body, avoiding or decreasing toxic issues and improving therapeutic activity. One of the most interesting strategies currently under research is the development of drug delivery systems sensitive to different stimuli, due to the high potential attributed to the selective delivery of the payload. In this work, a stimuli-sensitive nanocarrier was built with a bifunctional acrylic polymer, linked by imine and disulfide bonds to thiolate chitosan, the latter being a biopolymer widely known in the field of tissue engineering and drug delivery by its biodegradability and biocompatibility. These polymer nanoparticles were exposed to different changes in pH and redox potential, which are environments commonly found inside cancer cells. The results proof the ability of the nanoparticles to keep the original structure when either changes in pH or redox potential were applied individually. However, when both stimuli were applied simultaneously, a disassembly of the nanoparticles was evident. These special characteristics make these nanoparticles suitable nanocarriers with potential for the selective delivery of anticancer drugs.