Synthesis, Characterization, and Molecular Recognition of Sugar-Functionalized Nanoparticles Prepared by a Combination of ROP, ATRP, and Click Chemistry

The aim of this work was to prepare nanoparticles bearing sugar residues at their surface through the synthesis of amphiphilic block copolymer of poly d,l-lactide (PLA) and poly(ethylene glycol)methacrylate, with the hydrophilic part terminating with glucopyranoside molecules as a model for any carbohydrate ligand. The construction was achieved by a combination of click chemistry, ring-opening polymerization, and atom transfer radical polymerization. The modified monomer and resulting copolymer were characterized by NMR, SEC, and FTIR. Nanoparticles with a mean hydrodynamic diameter of <200 nm as determined by quasi-elastic light scattering were prepared from the amphiphilic copolymer by nanoprecipitation using dimethylforrnamide (DMF) as water-miscible solvent. In the range of 2.5-10 mg copolymer/mL DMF, the polymer concentration did not have much effect on the size of the nanoparticles. Accessibility of glucopyranoside molecules on the surface of the nanoparticles was confirmed by formation of aggregates from nanoparticles in the presence of concanavalin A observed by transmission electronic microscopy. Finally, no significant cytotoxicity toward human umbilical vein endothelial cells was detected for the final nanoparticles. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 3178-3187, 2010