Based on terminal group electrostatic interactions , a supra-amphiphile is formed between a homopolymer of polylactic acid with carboxyl group at one end (PLA-COOH) and hepta-6-hydrazyl-β-cyclodextrin. The amphiphile can self-assemble into micellar structure in aqueous solution. The outer surface of the micelle, which is composed of cyclodextrins, can be further modified via host-guest interactions. Considering the biocompatibility of the building blocks, the application of the micelles in nanocarrier of anti-cancer drugs is further explored.
Langmuir, 2014
Schematic representation of the formation of micelles.
(A) Hydrodynamic radius of HH-CD/PLA-COOH micelles measured by DLS in PBS (10 mM, pH 7.4). (B) SEM image of HH-CD/PLA-COOH micelles (scale bar, 1 µm). The inset is a zoom-in image of Figure 1B (scale bar, 200 nm). TEM images of (C) HH-CD/PLA-COOH micelles (scale bar, 500 nm) and (D) a typical micelle (scale bar, 50 nm).
Hydrodynamic radius of (A) HH-CD/PLA-COOH/ANS, (B) HH-CD/PLA-COOH/Ad-PEG, and (C) HH-CD/PLA-COOH/Ad-amine micelles measured by DLS in PBS solution (10 mM, pH 7.4). (D) Schematic representation of the surface modification of the micelles by the addition of competitive binders.
