Tannic Acid-Mediated Aggregate Stabilization of Poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)-b-poly(oligo (ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) Double Hydrophilic Block Copolymers

Abstract

The self-assembly of block copolymers in aqueous solution is an important field in modern polymer science that has been extended to double hydrophilic block copolymers (DHBC) in recent years. In here, a significant improvement of the self-assembly process of DHBC in aqueous solution by utilizing a linear-brush macromolecular architecture is presented. The improved self-assembly behavior of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)-b-poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) (PVP-b-P(OEGMA)) and its concentration dependency is investigated via dynamic light scattering (DLS) (apparent hydrodynamic radii ≈ 100–120 nm). Moreover, the DHBC assemblies can be non-covalently crosslinked with tannic acid via hydrogen bonding, which leads to the formation of small aggregates as well (apparent hydrodynamic radius ≈ 15 nm). Non-covalent crosslinking improves the self-assembly and stabilizes the aggregates upon dilution, reducing the concentration dependency of aggregate self-assembly. Additionally, the non-covalent aggregates can be disassembled in basic media. The presence of aggregates was studied via cryogenic scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) and DLS before and after non-covalent crosslinking. Furthermore, analytical ultracentrifugation of the formed aggregate structures was performed, clearly showing the existence of polymer assemblies, particularly after non-covalent crosslinking. In summary, we report on the completely hydrophilic self-assembled structures in solution formed from fully biocompatible building entities in water.

Polymeric Surfactants: Recent Advancement in Their Synthesis, Properties, and Industrial Applications

“…The CMC value, which depends on the structure and the block length, can represent the aggregation and the surface activity of a polymeric surfactant. The change in Gibb's energy for micellization (Δ G mic ) is expressed as [ 132 ] $$$$\begin{eqnarray}\Delta {G_{mic}} = - RT\,\ln \left( {CMC} \right)\end{eqnarray}$$$$…”

Glutathione-Responsive Tannic Acid-Assisted FRET Nanomedicine for Cancer Therapy

“…Furthermore, tannic acid (TA), one of many naturally occurring dietary polyphenolic compounds derived from plant sources and a subset of hydrolyzable tannin congeners, has shown its excipient value in pharmaceutics [ 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 ]. Recently, TA has successfully been used as an additive molecule due to its high water solubility, low viscosity, high biocompatibility, crosslinked network-forming ability via hydrogen bonds, and successful binding ability to drug molecules via hydrophobic interactions [ 53 , 54 , 55 ]. Such properties of TA have allowed it to be used to improve the solubilization of various hydrophobic drugs (curcumin, paclitaxel, amphotericin B, rapamycin, or docetaxel) inside the drug delivery system for localized delivery through a parenteral route [ 49 , 51 ].…”

Aggregation and Crosslinking of Poly(N,N‐dimethylacrylamide)‐b‐pullulan Double Hydrophilic Block Copolymers

“…[29] Moreover, there are many different options from supramolecular chemistry to crosslink DHBCs, e.g., via hydrogen bonds or host-guest inclusion complexes. [53,54] An alternative method for crosslinking of polymers is the reaction of primary amines or hydroxylamine with aldehydes or ketones to generate an oxime or imine bond, which was used to form biocompatible hydrogels. [55] As such, the formation of a reversible oxime bond is an efficient technique to modify the structure of macromolecules.…”