Abstract
We report extremely small-sized drug-carrying globular poly(ethylene glycol) particles. These particles were prepared using fullerene (C60) as a backbone structure and poly(ethylene glycol) as a hydrophilic shell. All π-π carbon bonds in C60 were combined with poly(ethylene glycol), which form a "globular nano-cage" with a hollow core (originating from the soccer-ball-shaped truncated icosahedron of C60) and the poly(ethylene glycol) shell. Subsequently, we constructed chlorin e6-conjugated globular poly(ethylene glycol). The obtained globular poly(ethylene glycol)-chlorin e6 (average 3.6 nm in diameter) was soluble in aqueous solution and enabled improved singlet oxygen generation. The preferential cellular uptake of globular poly(ethylene glycol)-chlorin e6 resulted in significant enhancement of in vitro or in vivo photodynamic tumor cell ablation under light illumination. Our approach offers a versatile strategy to create extremely small-sized drug carriers using a biocompatible polymer for various biomedical applications.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 167-178 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Journal of Bioactive and Compatible Polymers |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Mar 2016 |
Keywords
- chlorin e6
- extremely small-sized
- fullerene
- Globular poly(ethylene glycol)
- photodynamic tumor therapy