Synthesis and properties of Polycaprolactone-graft-Poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate-co-methoxy polyethylene glycol monomethacrylate) as non-viral gene vector

Polycaprolactone-graft-Poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate-co-methoxy polyethylene glycol monomethacrylate) (PCL-graft-P(DMAEMA-co-mPEGMMA)) was synthesized by combination of ring-opening polymerization (ROP) and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). PCL-graft-P(DMAEMA-co-mPEGMMA) was characterized by FTIR, (1)H NMR, and GPC. PCL-graft-P(DMAEMA-co-mPEGMMA) with expected composition and structure was achieved. pH-and thermo-sensitive properties of the PCL-graft-P(DMAEMA-co-mPEGMMA) nanoparticles prepared by the nanoprecipitation method were investigated by TEM and DLS. With increase in the temperature, the size of PCL-graft-P(DMAEMA-co-mPEGMMA) nanoparticles is decreased under base environment. Furthermore, in vitro transfection and toxicity assays were tested in 293T cells. The results indicate that PCL-graft-P(DMAEMA-co-PEGMMA) has lower cytotoxicity at N/P ratios less than 10 with transfection efficiency concomitantly reducing at N/P ratios less than 20 compared to PCL-graft-PDMAEMA as the control. However, PCL-graft-P(DMAEMA-co-PEGMMA) presents higher transfection efficiency at N/P ratios more than 20 compared to PCL-graft-PDMAEMA. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.