Self-assembled micelles of novel graft amphiphilic copolymers for drug controlled release

In this study, with the aim of designing an ideal anticancer drug carrier, we synthesized novel amphiphilic graft copolymers, P(Glu-alt-PEG)-graft-PCLA, based on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) segments and glutamic acid (Glu) units as the hydrophilic main chain, and poly(epsilon-caprolactone-co-lactide) (PCLA) as hydrophobic branches. The chemical structure of the copolymers was characterized by (1)H MNR and FT-IR. The self-assembly of the copolymers to form micelles was studied by TEM, DLS and fluorescence spectroscopy. In vitro doxorubicin controlled release studies demonstrated that these graft copolymer micelles had high drug loading capacity and good controlled released properties, demonstrating their potential as a novel anticancer drug carrier. The drug loaded graft copolymer micelles exhibited efficient inhibition of HeLa cells in in vitro studies. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.