Abstract
Biomaterials developed using sustainable methods and non-toxic solvents have been effectively applied as eco-friendly, sustainable reaction medium and catalysts for biological applications. This study describes the development of epsilon-caprolactone-citric acid nanomicelles using deep eutectic solvents (DESs) in the form of choline chloride and citric acid. The solvent formation was confirmed by FT-IR and H-1 NMR spectroscopy. The highest polycondensation yield of epsilon-caprolactone (epsilon-cp) with citric acid (CA) poly(epsilon-cp-co-CA) was obtained in 1:2 DES medium. Camptothecin (CPT), used as a model anticancer agent, was encapsulated by poly(epsilon-cp-co-CA) micelles, which act as drug carriers. Micelle formation was determined by fluorescence analysis using pyrene (CMC = 0.5 mg mL(-1)). The self-assembled CPT-loaded poly(epsilon-cp-co-CA) micelles were characterized using FT-IR, XRD, SEM and TEM techniques. The size of the nanomicelles was observed to be approximate to 270 nm using dynamic light scattering (DLS) techniques. The encapsulation efficiency and in vitro profiles of CPT in poly(epsilon-cp-co-CA) micelles were investigated by UV spectrometry at (max) of 350 nm. The antiproliferative effect of the encapsulated CPT, which was investigated in A549 cells, suggested that epsilon-cp-co-CA may be a promising anticancer drug carrier.