Poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)-Grafted Amphiphilic Block Copolymer Micelles Co-Loaded with Quercetin and DNA

Abstract

The synergistic effect of drug and gene delivery is expected to significantly improve cancer therapy. However, it is still challenging to design suitable nanocarriers that are able to load simultaneously anticancer drugs and nucleic acids due to their different physico-chemical properties. In the present work, an amphiphilic block copolymer comprising a biocompatible poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) block and a multi-alkyne-functional biodegradable polycarbonate (PC) block was modified with a number of poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) side chains applying the highly efficient azide–alkyne “click” chemistry reaction. The resulting cationic amphiphilic copolymer with block and graft architecture (MPEG-b-(PC-g-PDMAEMA)) self-associated in aqueous media into nanosized micelles which were loaded with the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer drug quercetin. The drug-loaded nanoparticles were further used to form micelleplexes in aqueous media through electrostatic interactions with DNA. The obtained nanoaggregates—empty and drug-loaded micelles as well as the micelleplexes intended for simultaneous DNA and drug codelivery—were physico-chemically characterized. Additionally, initial in vitro evaluations were performed, indicating the potential application of the novel polymer nanocarriers as drug delivery systems.