Recent advances in aliphatic polyesters for drug delivery applications

Abstract

The use of aliphatic polyesters in drug delivery applications has been a field of significant interest spanning decades. Drug delivery strategies have made abundant use of polyesters in their structures owing to their biocompatibility and biodegradability. The properties afforded from these materials provide many avenues for the tunability of drug delivery systems to suit individual needs of diverse applications. Polyesters can be formed in several different ways, but the most prevalent is the ring-opening polymerization of cyclic esters. When used to form amphiphilic block copolymers, these materials can be utilized to form various drug carriers such as nanoparticles, micelles, and polymersomes. These drug delivery systems can be tailored through the addition of targeting moieties and the addition of stimuli-responsive groups into the polymer chains. There are also different types of polyesters that can be used to modify the degradation rates or mechanical properties. Here, we discuss the reasons that polyesters have become so popular, the current research focuses, and what the future holds for these materials in drug delivery applications. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2017, 9:e1446. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1446 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.

Versatile, Highly Controlled Synthesis of Hybrid (Meth)acrylate–Polyester–Carbonates and their Exploitation in Tandem Post‐Polymerization–Functionalization

“…Random HEMA-(LA) 10 -(tBSC) 10 and PEGMA Copolymer (l-PEGMA-co-(HEMA-(LA) 15 -(tBSC) 15 ) PEGMA (263 mg, 0.875 mmol), HEMA-(LA) 10 -(tBSC) 10 (333 mg, 0.175 mmol), RAFT (11.9 mg, 0.035 mmol) and AIBN (0.5 mg, 3.5 µmol) were dissolved in 1.05 mL THF (1 m in monomers) in a 2 mL reaction vessel equipped with a magnetic stirrer bar and sealed with a rubber septa reinforced with a cable tie. The solution was bubbled with argon for 20 min and then stirred at 70 °C for 8 h. Subsequently, The reaction mixture was precipitated into hexane and the polymer was analyzed by 1 10 and PEGMA Copolymer (l-PEGMA-b-(HEMA)-(LA) 15 ) PEGMA (263 mg, 0.875 mmol), RAFT (11.9 mg, 0.035 mmol), and AIBN (0.5 mg, 3.5 µmol) were dissolved in 875 µL THF (1 m in monomers) in a 2 mL reaction vessel equipped with a magnetic stirrer bar and sealed with a rubber septum reinforced with a cable tie. The solution was bubbled with argon for 20 min and then stirred at 70 °C for 4 h. A degassed solution of HEMA-(LA) 10 -(tBSC) 10 (333 mg, 0.175 mmol) in 35 µL THF was added via syringe and the reaction continued for a further 4 h. The reaction mixture was then precipitated into hexane and the polymer was analyzed by 1 H NMR and SEC.…”

“…Aliphatic polyesters are of great interest in the biomedical field due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability . Particularly, poly(lactide)s (e.g., PDLLA), poly(caprolactone) (PCL), poly(glycolide) (PGA), and their copolymers are increasingly being employed for pharmaceutical applications such as tissue engineering and drug delivery, as their breakdown metabolites can be readily removed via natural pathways in the body .…”

“…Aliphatic polyesters are of great interest in the biomedical field due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability. [1] Particularly, poly(lactide)s (e.g., PDLLA), poly(caprolactone) (PCL), poly(glycolide) (PGA), and their copolymers are increasingly being employed for pharmaceutical applications such as tissue engineering and drug delivery, as their breakdown metabolites can be readily removed via natural pathways in the body. [2,3] PDLLA has been highly exploited due to its rapid degradation profile in biological conditions, and is routinely synthesized via the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of d,l-lactide (LA), a cyclic ester derived from naturally occurring lactic acid.…”

Poly(β-cyclodextrin)-mediated polylactide-cholesterol stereocomplex micelles for controlled drug delivery

“…It was shown that the micelle with the largest proportion of PCD possessed excellent abilities in drug release, cell internalization as well as proliferation inhibitory effect toward human A549 lung cancer cells. The results demonstrated that the stereocomplex and host-guest interactions-mediated PLA micelles exhibited great potential in sustained drug delivery.In recent years, self-assembled polyester micelles have attracted a great deal of attention in the application for drug delivery, mainly due to its optimal biodegradability and biocompatibility [1,2] . Hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and hydrophobic polylactide (PLA) are universally used components in block copolymers, and such copolymers have shown distinctive properties in multiple studies [3,4] .…”

“…In recent years, self-assembled polyester micelles have attracted a great deal of attention in the application for drug delivery, mainly due to its optimal biodegradability and biocompatibility [1,2] . Hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and hydrophobic polylactide (PLA) are universally used components in block copolymers, and such copolymers have shown distinctive properties in multiple studies [3,4] .…”