Persistent luminescence from purely organic materials is basically triggered by light and electricity, which largely confines its practical applications. A purely organic AIEgen exhibits not only persistent photoluminescence, but also transient and persistent room-temperature mechanoluminescence. By simply turning on and off a UV lamp, tricolor emission switching between blue, white, and yellow was achieved. The data from single-crystal structure analysis and theoretical calculation suggest that mechanism of the observed persistent mechanoluminescence (pML) is correlated with the strong spin-orbit coupling of the bromine atom, as well as the formation of H-aggregates and restriction of intramolecular motions in noncentrosymmetric crystal structure. These results outline a fundamental principle for the development of new pML materials, providing an important step forward in expanding the application scope of persistent luminescence.

A new strategy for the synthesis of biodegradable high molecular weight N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA)-based polymeric carriers has been designed. An enzyme-sensitive, alkyne-functionalized, chain transfer agent pentanoyl-glycylphenylalanylleucylglycyl)-lysine) was synthesized and used to mediate the reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization and copolymerization of HPMA. Post-polymerization modification with 4,4′-azobis(azidopropyl 4-cyanopentanoate)resulted in the formation of heterotelechelic HPMA copolymers containing terminal alkyne and azide groups. Chain extension via click reaction resulted in high molecular weight multiblock copolymers. Upon exposure to papain, these copolymers degraded into the initial blocks. Similar results were obtained for copolymers of HPMA with N-methacryloylglycylphenylalanylleucylglycyl thiazolidine-2-thione and Nmethacryloylglycylphenylalanylleucylglycyl-gemcitabine. The new synthetic method presented permits the synthesis of biocompatible, biodegradable high molecular weight HPMA copolymeranticancer drug conjugates that possess long-circulation times and augmented accumulation in solid tumor tissue due to the enhanced permeability and retention effect.

Telechelic water-soluble HPMA copolymers and HPMA copolymer-doxorubicin (DOX) conjugates have been synthesized by RAFT polymerization mediated by a new bifunctional chain transfer agent (CTA) that contains an enzymatically degradable oligopeptide sequence. Postpolymerization aminolysis followed by chain extension with a bis-maleimide resulted in linear high molecular weight multiblock HPMA copolymer conjugates. These polymers are enzymatically degradable; in addition to releasing the drug (DOX), the degradation of the polymer backbone resulted in products with molecular weights similar to the starting material and below the renal threshold. The new multiblock HPMA copolymers hold potential as new carriers of anticancer drugs.

BackgroundThere is an immense clinical need for novel therapeutics for the treatment of angiogenesis-dependent calcified neoplasms such as osteosarcomas and bone metastases. We developed a new therapeutic strategy to target bone metastases and calcified neoplasms using combined polymer-bound angiogenesis inhibitors. Using an advanced “living polymerization” technique, the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT), we conjugated the aminobisphosphonate alendronate (ALN), and the potent anti-angiogenic agent TNP-470 with N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) copolymer through a Glycine-Glycine-Proline-Norleucine linker, cleaved by cathepsin K, a cysteine protease overexpressed at resorption sites in bone tissues. In this approach, dual targeting is achieved. Passive accumulation is possible due to the increase in molecular weight following polymer conjugation of the drugs, thus extravasating from the tumor leaky vessels and not from normal healthy vessels. Active targeting to the calcified tissues is achieved by ALN's affinity to bone mineral.Methods and FindingThe anti-angiogenic and antitumor potency of HPMA copolymer-ALN-TNP-470 conjugate was evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. We show that free and conjugated ALN-TNP-470 have synergistic anti-angiogenic and antitumor activity by inhibiting proliferation, migration and capillary-like tube formation of endothelial and human osteosarcoma cells in vitro. Evaluation of anti-angiogenic, antitumor activity and body distribution of HPMA copolymer-ALN-TNP-470 conjugate was performed on severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) male mice inoculated with mCherry-labeled MG-63-Ras human osteosarcoma and by modified Miles permeability assay. Our targeted bi-specific conjugate reduced VEGF-induced vascular hyperpermeability by 92% and remarkably inhibited osteosarcoma growth in mice by 96%.ConclusionsThis is the first report to describe a new concept of a narrowly-dispersed combined polymer therapeutic designed to target both tumor and endothelial compartments of bone metastases and calcified neoplasms at a single administration. This new approach of co-delivery of two synergistic drugs may have clinical utility as a potential therapy for angiogenesis-dependent cancers such as osteosarcoma and bone metastases.

The biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of bone-targeting N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) copolymer-alendronate conjugates were evaluated following intravenous administration of radioiodinated conjugates to young healthy BALB/c mice. The synthesis of a polymerizable and cathepsin K cleavable alendronate derivative, N-methacryloylglycylglycylprolylnorleucylalendronate, enabled the preparation of HPMA copolymer-alendronate conjugates with varying composition. Using the RAFT (reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer) polymerization technique, four conjugates with different molecular weight and alendronate content and two control HPMA copolymers (without alendronate) with different molecular weight were prepared. The results of biodistribution studies in mice demonstrated a strong binding capacity of alendronate-targeted HPMA copolymer conjugates to bone. Conjugates with low (1.5 mol%) alendronate content exhibited a similar bone deposition capacity as conjugates containing 8.5 mol % of alendronate. The molecular weight was an important factor in the biodistribution of the HPMA copolymer conjugates. More conjugate structures need to be evaluated, but the data suggest that medium molecular weights (50-100 kDa) might be effective drug carriers for bone delivery.