Fabrication of polymeric micelles with core–shell–corona structure for applications in controlled drug release

Thermo-responsive polymeric micelles of poly (ethylene glycol)-b-poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-g-lactide)-b-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PEG-P(HEMA-PLA)-PNIPAM) with core–shell–corona structure were fabricated for applications in controlled drug release. The graft copolymer of PEG-P(HEMA-PLA)-PNIPAM was self-assembled into core–shell micelles with a densely PLA core and mixed PEG/PNIPAM shells at 25 °C in aqueous media. By increasing the temperature above the lower critical solution temperature of PNIPAM, these core–shell micelles could be converted into core–shell–corona micelles because of the collapse of PNIPAM block on the PLA core as the inner shell and the soluble PEG block stretching outside as the outer corona. Anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded in the polymeric micelles as a model drug. Compared with polymeric micelles formed by liner PEG-b-PLA-b-PNIPAM triblock copolymer, these polymeric micelles exhibited higher loading capacity, and release of DOX from the polymeric micelles with core–shell–corona structure was well-controlled.     

Flocculation‐resistant multimolecular micelles with thermoresponsive corona from dendritic heteroarm star copolymers

In this article, we report the self‐assembly of flocculation‐resistant multimolecular micelles with thermoresponsive corona from novel dendritic heteroarm star copolymers. The micelles have a core‐shell‐corona structure at room temperature according to pyrene probe fluorescence spectrometry, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR), transmission electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering measurements. Increasing the temperature above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST), the micelles show high flocculation‐resistant ability resulting from a structure transition from core‐shell‐corona to core‐shell confirmed by a quantitative variable temperature ¹H NMR analysis method using potassium hydrogen phthalate as an external standard. A big volume change of the micelles is observed during the LCST transition. The drug loading and temperature‐dependent release properties of the micelles are also investigated by using coumarin 102 as a model drug, which displays a rapid drug release at a temperature above the LCST. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Complex micelles formed from two diblock copolymers for applications in controlled drug release

Double‐responsive core‐shell‐corona complex micelles for applications in drug release were formed from self‐assembly of two diblock copolymers PtBA‐b‐ PNIPAM and PtBA‐b‐P4VP. The two diblock copolymers coaggregated into core‐shell complex micelles in acidic water with the hydrophobic PtBA blocks as the common core and soluble PNIPAM/P4VP blocks as the mixed shell. Increasing temperature or pH value, the micelles converted into core‐shell‐corona micelles because of the collapse of PNIPAM or P4VP blocks as the inner shell and soluble P4VP or PNIPAM chains stretching outside as the outer corona. The anti‐inflammation drug naproxen (NAP) was loaded as the model drug in micelles in acidic water and released because of the ionization of NAP in alkaline solutions. Compared with pure core‐shell micelles, release of NAP from core‐shell‐corona complex micelles avoided the burst diffusion and the release rate is more easily controlled by tuning the composition of the mixtures or by adjusting the pH of the medium. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 1804–1810, 2009     

Formation of Core‐Shell‐Corona Micellar Complexes through Adsorption of Double Hydrophilic Diblock Copolymers into Core‐Shell Micelles

Summary: The complexation between polystyrene‐block‐poly(acrylic acid) (PS‐b‐PAA) micelles and poly(ethylene glycol)‐block‐poly(4‐vinyl pyridine) (PEG‐b‐P4VP) is studied, and a facile strategy is proposed to prepare core‐shell‐corona micellar complexes. Micellization of PS‐b‐PAA in ethanol forms spherical core‐shell micelles with PS block as core and PAA block as shell. When PEG‐b‐P4VP is added into the core‐shell micellar solution, the P4VP block is absorbed into the core‐shell micelles to form spherical core‐shell‐corona micellar complexes with the PS block as core, the combined PAA/P4VP blocks as shell and the PEG block as corona. A model is suggested to characterize the core‐shell‐corona micellar complexes.

Schematic formation of core‐shell‐corona (CSC) micellar complexes by adsorption of PEG‐b‐P4VP into core‐shell PS‐b‐PAA micelles.     

Thermo/pH Dual Responsive Mixed‐Shell Polymeric Micelles Based on the Complementary Multiple Hydrogen Bonds for Drug Delivery

Thermo/pH dual responsive mixed‐shell polymeric micelles based on multiple hydrogen bonding were prepared by self‐assembly of diaminotriazine‐terminated poly(?‐caprolactone) (DAT‐PCL), uracil‐terminated methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG‐U), and uracil‐terminated poly(N‐vinylcaprolactam) (PNVCL‐U) at room temperature. PCL acted as the core and MPEG/PNVCL as the mixed shell. Increasing the temperature, PNVCL collapsed and enclosed the PCL core, while MPEG penetrated through the PNVCL shell, thereby leading to the formation of MPEG channels on the micelles surface. The low cytotoxicity of the mixed micelles was confirmed by an MTT assay against BGC‐823 cells. Studies on the in vitro drug release showed that a much faster release rate was observed at pH 5.0 compared to physiological pH, owing to the dissociation of hydrogen bonds. Therefore, the mixed‐shell polymeric micelles would be very promising candidates in drug delivery systems.     

HPMA‐Based Nanocarriers for Effective Immune System Stimulation

The selective activation of the immune system using nanoparticles as a drug delivery system is a promising field in cancer therapy. Block copolymers from HPMA and laurylmethacrylate‐co‐hymecromone‐methacrylate allow the preparation of multifunctionalized core‐crosslinked micelles of variable size. To activate dendritic cells (DCs) as antigen presenting cells, the carbohydrates mannose and trimannose are introduced into the hydrophilic corona as DC targeting units. To activate DCs, a lipophilic adjuvant (L18‐MDP) is incorporated into the core of the micelles. To elicit an immune response, a model antigen peptide (SIINFEKL) is attached to the polymeric nanoparticle—in addition—via a click reaction with the terminal azide. Thereafter, the differently functionalized micelles are chemically and biologically characterized. While the core‐crosslinked micelles without carbohydrate units are hardly bound by DCs, mannose and trimannose functionalization lead to a strong binding. Flow cytometric analysis and blocking studies employing mannan suggest the requirement of the mannose receptor and DC‐SIGN for effective micelle binding. It could be suppressed by blocking with mannan. Adjuvant‐loaded micelles functionalized with mannose and trimannose activate DCs, and DCs preincubated with antigen‐conjugated micelles induce proliferation of antigen‐specific CD8+ T cells.     

Hollow nanoparticles prepared from pH‐responsive template polymer micelles

Water‐soluble crosslinked hollow nanoparticles were prepared using pH‐responsive anionic polymer micelles as templates. The template micelles were formed from pH‐responsive diblock copolymers (PAMPS‐PAaH) composed of the poly(sodium 2‐(acrylamido)‐2‐methylpropanesulfonate) and poly(6‐(acrylamido)hexanoic acid) blocks in an aqueous acidic solution. The PAMPS and PAaH blocks form a hydrophilic anionic shell and hydrophobic core of the core‐shell polymer micelle, respectively. A cationic diblock copolymer (PEG‐P(APTAC/CEA)) with the poly(ethylene glycol) block and random copolymer block composed of poly((3‐acrylamidopropyl)trimethylammonium chloride) containing a small amount of the 2‐(cinnamoyl)ethylacrylate photo‐crosslinkable unit can be adsorbed to the anionic shell of the template micelle due to electrostatic interaction, which form a core‐shell‐corona three‐layered micelle. The shell of the core‐shell‐corona micelle is formed from a polyion complex with anionic PAMPS and cationic P(APTAC/CEA) chains. The P(APTAC/CEA) chains in the shell of the core‐shell‐corona micelle can be photo‐crosslinked with UV irradiation. The template micelle can be dissociated using NaOH, because the PAaH blocks are ionized. Furthermore, electrostatic interactions between PAMPS and PAPTAC in the shell are screened by adding excess NaCl in water. The template micelles can be completely removed by dialysis against water containing NaOH and NaCl to prepare the crosslinked hollow nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy observations confirmed the hollow structure. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Fabrication of Reduction‐Sensitive Amphiphilic Cyclic Brush Copolymer for Controlled Drug Release

The cyclic brush polymers, due to the unique topological structure, have shown in the previous studies higher delivery efficacy than the bottlebrush analogues as carriers for drug and gene transfer. However, to the best of knowledge, the preparation of reduction‐sensitive cyclic brush polymers for drug delivery applications remains unexplored. For this purpose, a reduction‐sensitive amphiphilic cyclic brush copolymer, poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate‐g‐poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐disulfide link‐poly(oligoethyleneglycol methacrylate)) (P(HEMA‐g‐PCL‐SS‐POEGMA)) with reducible block junctions bridging the hydrophobic PCL middle layer and the hydrophilic POEGMA outer corona is designed and synthesized successfully in this study via a “grafting from” approach using sequential ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) and atom transfer free radical polymerization (ATRP) from a cyclic multimacroinitiator PHEMA. The resulting self‐assembled unimolecular core–shell–corona (CSC) micelles show sufficient salt stability and efficient destabilization in the intracellular reducing environment for a promoted drug release toward a greater therapeutic efficacy relative to the reduction‐insensitive analogues. The overall results demonstrate the reducible cyclic brush copolymers developed herein provides an elegant solution to the tradeoff between extracellular stability and intracellular high therapeutic efficacy toward efficient anticancer drug delivery.     

Bioreducible and core‐crosslinked hybrid micelles from trimethoxysilyl‐ended poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐S‐S‐poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymers: Thiol‐ene click synthesis and properties

Bioreducible and core‐crosslinked hybrid micelles were for the first time fabricated from biodegradable and biocompatible trimethoxysilyl‐terminated and disulfide‐bond‐linked block copolymers poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐S‐S‐poly(ethylene oxide), which were prepared by combining thiol‐ene coupling reaction and ring‐opening polymerization. The molecular structures, physicochemical, self‐assembly, and bioreducible properties of these copolymers were thoroughly characterized by means of FTIR, ¹H NMR, gel permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy. The core‐crosslinking sol‐gel reaction was confirmed by ¹H NMR, and the core‐crosslinked hybrid micelles contained about 3 wt % of silica. The bioreducible property of both uncrosslinked and core‐crosslinked micelles in 10 mM 1,4‐dithiothreitol (DTT) solution was monitored by DLS, which demonstrated that the PEO corona gradually shedded from the PCL core. The anticancer doxorubicin drug‐loaded micelles showed nearly spherical morphology compared with blank micelles, presenting a DTT reduction‐triggered drug‐release profile at 37 °C. Notably, the core‐crosslinked hybrid micelles showed about twofold drug loading capacities and a half drug‐release rate compared with the uncross‐liked counterparts. This work provides a useful platform for the fabrication of bioreducible and core‐crosslinked hybrid micelles potential for anticancer drug delivery system. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

聚乙二醇-聚谷氨酸-聚丙氨酸三嵌段共聚物的合成及其胶束的pH-响应性药物控制释放

通过大分子引发剂ω-胺基-α-甲氧基聚乙二醇引发N-羧基-α-氨基环内酸酐开环聚合和酸性水解制备了一种具有pH-响应性的三嵌段共聚物聚乙二醇-聚谷氨酸-聚丙氨酸(mPEG-PLGA-PLAA).通过核磁共振、ζ-电势、动态光散射、电子显微镜等手段表征了此类三嵌段共聚物的自组装过程及所形成胶束的pH-响应性.使用圆二色谱和红外光谱,分析了胶束结构随环境pH值转变过程中聚氨基酸链段二级结构的变化.以阿霉素作为模型药物,研究了三嵌段共聚物的载药能力和在不同pH条件下的药物释放能力.在碱性条件下,PLGA链段去质子化,链段从疏水性变为亲水性,胶束中间层由于水合作用变得松散,药物释放速率增加;在酸性条件下,PLGA链段质子化,不带电荷,与阿霉素药物分子间的静电相互作用消失.同时,PLGA链段α-螺旋含量增加,形成由链内氢键维持的刚性棒状结构,将链段周围包埋的药物分子"挤出",加速了药物的释放.     

Self‐assembly of thermo‐ and pH‐responsive poly(acrylic acid)‐b‐poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) micelles for drug delivery

Self‐assembled thermo‐ and pH‐responsive poly(acrylic acid)‐b‐poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PAA‐b‐PNIPAM) micelles for entrapment and release of doxorubicin (DOX) was described. Block copolymer PAA‐b‐PNIPAM associated into core‐shell micelles in aqueous solution with collapsed PNIPAM block or protonated PAA block as the core on changing temperature or pH. Complexation of DOX with PAA‐b‐PNIPAM triggered by the electrostatic interaction and release of DOX from the complexes due to the changing of pH or temperature were studied. Complex micelles incorporated with DOX exhibited pH‐responsive and thermoresponsive drug release profile. The release of DOX from micelles was suppressed at pH 7.2 and accelerated at pH 4.0 due to the protonation of carboxyl groups. Furthermore, the cumulative release of DOX from complex micelles was enhanced around LCST ascribed to the structure deformation of the micelles. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5028–5035, 2008     

Formation of polymeric micelles with amino surfaces from amphiphilic AB‐type diblock copolymers composed of poly(glycolic acid lysine) segments and polylactide segments

Amphiphilic AB‐type diblock copolymers composed of hydrophobic poly(L ‐lactide) (PLA) segments and hydrophilic poly(glycolic acid lysine) [poly(Glc‐Lys)] segments with amino side‐chain groups self‐associated to form PLA‐based polymeric micelles with amino surfaces in an aqueous solution. The average diameter of the loose core–shell polymeric micelles for poly(Glc‐Lys) [number‐average molecular weight (M_n) = 1240]‐b‐PLA (M_n = 7000) obtained by a dimethyl sulfoxide/water dialysis method was estimated to be about 50 nm in water by dynamic light scattering measurements. The size and shape of the obtained polymeric micelles were further observed with transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. To investigate the possibility of applying the obtained PLA‐based polymeric micelles as bioabsorbable vehicles for hydrophobic drugs, we tested the entrapment of drugs in poly(Glc‐Lys) (M_n = 1240)‐b‐PLA (M_n = 7000) micelles and their release with doxorubicin as a hydrophobic drug. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 1426–1432, 2002     

Synthesis and supramolecular self‐assembly of thermosensitive amphiphilic star copolymers based on a hyperbranched polyether core

A novel amphiphilic thermosensitive star copolymer with a hydrophobic hyperbranched poly (3‐ethyl‐3‐(hydroxymethyl)oxetane) (HBPO) core and many hydrophilic poly(2‐(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) arms was synthesized and used as the precursor for the aqueous solution self‐assembly. All the copolymers directly aggregated into core–shell unimolecular micelles (around 10 nm) and size‐controllable large multimolecular micelles (around 100 nm) in water at room temperature, according to pyrene probe fluorescence spectrometry and ¹H NMR, TEM, and DLS measurements. The star copolymers also underwent sharp, thermosensitive phase transitions at a lower critical solution temperature (LCST), which were proved to be originated from the secondary aggregation of the large micelles driven by increasing hydrophobic interaction due to the dehydration of PDMAEMA shells on heating. A quantitative variable temperature NMR analysis method was designed by using potassium hydrogen phthalate as an external standard and displayed great potential to evaluate the LCST transition at the molecular level. The drug loading and temperature‐dependent release properties of HBPO‐star‐PDMAEMA micelles were also investigated by using indomethacin as a model drug. The indomethacin‐loaded micelles displayed a rapid drug release at a temperature around LCST. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 668–681, 2008     

Synthesis and characterization of core–shell‐type polymeric micelles from diblock copolymers via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer

A method was developed to enable the formation of nanoparticles by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. The thermoresponsive behavior of polymeric micelles was modified by means of micellar inner cores and an outer shell. Polymeric micelles comprising AB block copolymers of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PIPAAm) and poly(2‐hydroxyethylacrylate) (PHEA) or polystyrene (PSt) were prepared. PIPAAm‐b‐PHEA and PIPAAm‐b‐PSt block copolymers formed a core–shell micellar structure after the dialysis of the block copolymer solutions in organic solvents against water at 20 °C. Upon heating above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST), PIPAAm‐b‐PHEA micelles exhibited an abrupt increase in polarity and an abrupt decrease in rigidity sensed by pyrene. In contrast, PIPAAm‐b‐PSt micelles maintained constant values with lower polarity and higher rigidity than those of PIPAAm‐b‐PHEA micelles over the temperature range of 20–40 °C. Structural deformations produced by the change in the outer polymer shell with temperature cycles through the LCST were proposed for the PHEA core, which possessed a lower glass‐transition temperature (ca. 20 °C) than the LCST of the PIPAAm outer shell (ca. 32.5 °C), whereas the PSt core with a much higher glass‐transition temperature (ca. 100 °C) retained its structure. The nature of the hydrophobic segments composing the micelle inner core offered an important control point for thermoresponsive drug release and the drug activity of the thermoresponsive polymeric micelles. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3312–3320, 2006     

Disulfide‐centered star‐shaped polypeptide‐PEO block copolymers for reduction‐triggered drug release

Disulfide‐centered star‐shaped poly(ε‐benzyloxycarbonyl‐l ‐lysine)‐b‐poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymers (i.e., A₂B₄ type Cy‐PZlys‐b‐PEO) were synthesized by the combination of ring‐opening polymerization and thiol‐yne chemistry. Their molecular structures and physical properties were characterized in detail by FTIR, ¹H NMR, gel permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, and polarized optical microscope. Despite mainly exhibiting an α‐helix conformation, the inner PZlys blocks within copolymers greatly prohibited the crystallinity of the outer PEO blocks and presented a liquid crystal phase transition behavior in solid state. These block copolymers Cy‐PZlys‐b‐PEO self‐assembled into nearly spherical micelles in aqueous solution, which had a hydrophobic disulfide‐centered PZlys core surrounded by a hydrophilic PEO corona. As monitored by means of DLS and TEM, these micelles were progressively reduced to smaller micelles in 10 mM 1,4‐dithiothreitol at 37 °C and finally became ones with a half size, demonstrating a reduction‐sensitivity. Despite a good drug‐loading property, the DOX‐loaded micelles of Cy‐PZlys‐b‐PEO exhibited a reduction‐triggered drug release profile with an improved burst‐release behavior compared with the linear counterpart. Importantly, this work provides a versatile strategy for the synthesis of the disulfide‐centered star‐shaped polypeptide block copolymers potential for intracellular glutathione‐triggered drug delivery systems. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 2000–2010     

Cancer‐associated pH‐responsive tetracopolymeric micelles composed of poly(ethylene glycol)‐b‐poly(L‐histidine)‐b‐poly(L‐lactic acid)‐b‐poly(ethylene glycol)

To create a novel vector for specifically delivering anticancer therapy to solid tumors, we used diafiltration to synthesize pH‐sensitive polymeric micelles. The micelles, formed from a tetrablock copolymer [poly(ethylene glycol)‐b‐poly(L ‐histidine)‐b‐poly(L ‐lactic acid)‐b‐poly(ethylene glycol)] consisted of a hydrophobic poly(L ‐histidine) (polyHis) and poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLA) core and a hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) shell, in which we encapsulated the model anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). The robust micelles exhibited a critical micellar concentration (CMC) of 2.1–3.5 µg/ml and an average size of 65–80 nm pH 7.4. Importantly, they showed a pH‐dependent micellar destabilization, due to the concurrent ionization of the polyHis and the rigidity of the PLA in the micellar core. In particular, the molecular weight of PLA block affected the ionization of the micellar core. Depending on the molecular weight of the PLA block, the micelles triggering released DOX at pH 6.8 (i.e. cancer acidic pH) or pH 6.4 (i.e. endosomal pH), making this system a useful tool for specifically treating solid cancers or delivering cytoplasmic cargo in vivo. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Well‐defined thermoresponsive dendritic polyamide/poly(N‐vinylcaprolactam) block copolymers

The first‐ and second‐generation well‐defined thermoresponsive amphiphilic linear–dendritic diblock copolymers based on hydrophilic linear poly(N‐vinylcaprolactam) and hydrophobic dendritic aromatic polyamide have been synthesized via reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization of N‐vinylcaprolactam by employing dendritic chain‐transfer agents possessing a single dithiocarbamate moiety at the focal point. These linear–dendritic copolymers exhibit reversible temperature‐dependent phase transition behaviors in aqueous solution as characterized by turbidity measurements using UV–vis spectroscopy. Their lower critical solution temperatures depend on the generation of the dendritic aromatic polyamides and the concentrations of the copolymer solutions. These amphiphilic copolymers are able to form nanospherical micelles in the aqueous solution as revealed by fluorescent spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The core–shell structure of micelles has been proved by ¹H NMR analyses of the micelles in D2O. The micelles loaded with indomethacin as a model drug showed high‐drug loading capacity and thermoresponsive drug release behavior. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 3240–3250     

Charge‐selective separation and recovery of organic ions by polymeric micelles

Charge‐selective separation and recovery of organic ionic dyes by polymeric micelles (PMs) are reported. Branched polyethylenimine (PEI) functionalized with 4‐cetyloxybenzaldehyde (CBA) via Schiff‐base bonds (PEI@CBA) can extract an anionic dye from cationic contaminants, and transfer it from an aqueous phase into an apolar oil phase, and thus leading to separation. While a physical micelle of PAA@PS, with polyacrylic acid (PAA) as core and polystyrene (PS) as shell, can selectively extract a cationic dye from anionic contaminants. When polar, yet nonionic groups are eliminated from the core of a PM, charge selectivity can be significantly enhanced. Although many anionic–cationic dyes can form a poorly water‐soluble complex or precipitate, separation is still feasible with a reasonably designed PM. Finally, entrapment of a guest by a PM is found easy but release may be difficult; in this case, PEI@CBA with an acid‐sheddable shell, can recover the entrapped guest. It is also found the encapsulation of a dye is usually accompanied with dye stacking, resulting in a changed UV/vis spectrum. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 872–881     

Double‐hydrophilic block copolymer for encapsulation and two‐way pH change‐induced release of metalloporphyrins

A double hydrophilic block copolymer composed of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(4‐vinyl pyridine) (P4VP) was obtained through hydrolysis of diblock copolymer of poly(tert‐butyl acrylate) (PtBA) and P4VP synthesized using atom transfer radical polymerization. Water‐soluble micelles with PAA core and P4VP corona were observed at low (acidic) pH, while micelles with P4VP core and PAA corona were formed at high (basic) pH. Two metalloporphyrins, zinc tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP) and cobalt tetraphenylporphyrin (CoTPP), were used as model compounds to investigate the encapsulation of hydrophobic molecules by both types of micelles. UV–vis spectroscopic measurements indicate that micelles with P4VP core are able to entrap more ZnTPP and CoTPP as a result of the axial coordination between the transition metals and the pyridine groups. The study found that metalloporphyrins encapsulated by the micelles with PAA core could be released on pH increase, while those entrapped by the micelles with P4VP core could be released on pH decrease. This behavior originates from the two‐way pH change‐induced disruption of PAA‐b‐P4VP micelles. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1734–1744, 2006     

Controlled aggregation behavior of thermoresponsive polymeric micelles by introducing hydrophilic segments as corona components

Poly[N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐N‐(3‐methoxypropyl)acrylamide]‐b‐poly(D,L‐lactide) (P(IPAAm‐co‐MPAAm)‐b‐PLA) as a thermoresponsive block copolymer and PMPAAm‐b‐PLA as a nonthermoresponsive block copolymer were co‐assembled into thermoresponsive polymeric micelles in water. In addition, PMPAAm‐b‐P(IPAAm‐co‐MPAAm)‐b‐PLA triblock copolymer was assembled to form thermoresponsive micelles with a hydrophilic layer on the outermost surface of the thermoresponsive corona. Using both micelles, we investigated the effects of introducing hydrophilic polymer segments on micellar aggregation behavior at temperatures above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the thermoresponsive micelles. Despite the external hydrophilic PMPAAm layer on PMPAAm‐b‐P(IPAAm‐co‐MPAAm)‐b‐PLA micelles, aggregation following dehydration of the thermoresponsive segments was not significantly suppressed at temperatures above the LCST due to the instability of the core‐corona state. In contrast, intermicellar aggregation was successfully controlled by blending P(IPAAm‐co‐MPAAm) and PMPAAm in the thermoresponsive corona region, even above the LCST. In particular, PMPAAm chains longer than the P(IPAAm‐co‐MPAAm) chains could regulate the hydrodynamic diameter of micellar aggregates at temperatures above the LCST. The micelles showed enhanced drug release rates in response to temperature changes above the LCST without precipitating from solution. These results indicated that a side‐by‐side structure of hydrophilic/thermoresponsive chains in the corona region could effectively control the micellar aggregation state after a thermal phase transition. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 1695–1704