Thermally Controlled Release of Anticancer Drug from Self-Assembled γ-Substituted Amphiphilic Poly(ε-caprolactone) Micellar Nanoparticles

A thermo-responsive poly{gamma-2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethoxy-epsilon-caprolactone}-b-poly(gamma-octyloxy-epsilon-caprolactone) (PMEEECL-b-POCTCL) diblock copolymer was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization using tin octanoate (Sn(Oct)(2)) catalyst and a fluorescent dansyl initiator. The PMEEECL-b-POCTCL had a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of 38 degrees C, and it was employed to prepare thermally responsive micelles. Nile Red and Doxorubicin (DOX) were loaded into the micelles, and the micellar stability and drug carrying ability were investigated. The size and the morphology of the cargo-loaded micelles were determined by DLS, AFM, and TEM. The Nile-Red-loaded polymeric micelles were found to be stable in the presence of both fetal bovine serum and bovine serum albumin over a 72 h period and displayed thermo-responsive in vitro drug release. The blank micelles showed a low cytotoxicity. As comparison, the micelles loaded with DOX showed a much higher in vitro cytotoxicity against MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line when the incubation temperature was elevated above the LCST. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to study the cellular uptake and showed that the DOX-loaded micelles were internalized into the cells via an endocytosis pathway.