Functionalized PEG‐b‐PAGE‐b‐PLGA triblock terpolymers as materials for nanoparticle preparation

Abstract

A series of poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(allyl glycidyl ether) (PEG-b-PAGE) macroinitiators are prepared using the living anionic ring-opening polymerization (AROP) technique, and applied for further copolymerization studies. To overcome the low reactivity of the secondary hydroxyl endgroup of the PAGE block, a primary hydroxyl group is introduced into the macroinitiators via trityl and tert-butyl-dimethylsilane protective groups. The modified macroinitiators are used for copolymerization by applying different amounts of PEG-b-PAGE (5, 10, and 15%) and different PLGA lengths. To study their properties, nanoparticles from selected polymers are prepared and characterized by dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy showing spherical particles with diameters around 200 nm and low PDI particle values of 0.03-0.1. An advantage of the obtained polymers is the presence of double bonds in the side chain, which enables the modification via, for example, thiol-ene reactions. For this purpose tertiary 2-(dimethylamino)ethanethiol), acetylated thiogalactose and thiomannose are attached onto the double bonds of the PAGEblocks.

Impact of PEG and PEG- b -PAGE modified PLGA on nanoparticle formation, protein loading and release

“…Barthel, Michael Gottschaldt, 2015). The number average molar mass (Mn) of the different polymers was given as a mean average, determined by size exclusion chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance.…”

Maintaining the Hydrophilic–Hydrophobic Balance of Polyesters with Adjustable Crystallinity for Tailor-Made Nanoparticles

“…The vast majority of degradable nanocarriers is composed of polyesters such as poly­(ε-caprolactone) (PεCL) or polylactide (PLA) . Encapsulated actives are released by enzymatic degradation .…”

“…The vast majority of degradable nanocarriers is composed of polyesters such as poly(ε-caprolactone) (PεCL) or polylactide (PLA). 5 Encapsulated actives are released by enzymatic degradation. 6 Besides other factors such as the hydrophobicity, the molar mass, or the chemical composition of the polymers, the crystallinity of polyesters influences the enzymatic degradation rate and, hence, the release from polyester-based nanoparticles.…”