Novel nanosized water soluble fluorescent micelles with embedded perylene diimide fluorophores for potential biomedical applications: Cell permeability, localization and cytotoxicity

Novel biocompatible water-soluble fluorescent micelles with embedded perylene diimides (PDI) for intracellular applications have been prepared by self assembling of amphiphilic poly(vinyl alcohol)-b-poly(acrylonitrile) (PVA-b-PAN) copolymers in the presence of synthesized fluorophores. Amphiphilic PVA-b-PAN copolymers were obtained by selective hydrolysis of well-defined poly(vinyl acetate)-b-poly(acrylonitrile) (PVAc-b-PAN) copolymer. The preparation of the novel fluorescence micelles consisting of PVA hydrophilic shell and PAN hydrophobic core with incorporated PDI fluorophores has been confirmed by DLS and TEM analysis. The cytotoxicity of the water-soluble fluorophores and their internalization into living cells depending on the micellar concentration have been tested. It was shown that they could successfully enter in living cells without destroying their morphology. The results obtained indicate that the novel water-soluble fluorescent micelles with embedded PDI fluorophores would be suitable for potential intracellular biomedical applications. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.