Abstract
Amphiphilic block copolymers are well
established as building blocks for the preparation of
micellar drug carriers. The functional polymer
micelles possess several advantages, such as high drug
efficiency, targeted delivery, and minimized cytotoxicity.
The synthesis of block copolymers using nanostructured
templates has emerged as a useful and
versatile approach for preparing drug carriers. Here,
we report the synthesis of a smart polymeric compound
of a diblock PLA-Lys-b-PEG copolymer containing
doxorubicin. We have synthesized functionalized
diblock copolymers, with lysinol, poly(lactide) and
monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol) via thermal ringopening
polymerization and a subsequent six-step
substitution reaction. A variety of spectroscopic
methods were employed here to verify the product of
our synthesis. 1H-Nuclear magnetic resonance and
Fourier transform infrared studies validated the
expected synthesis of copolymers. Doxorubicin is
chemically loaded into micelles, and the ex vitro
release can be evaluated either in weak acidic or in SBF
solution by UV–vis spectroscopy. Dynamic light
scattering, thermo gravimetric analysis, and size
exclusion chromatography have also been used.