Biodegradable depsipeptide-PDO-PEG-based block copolymer micelles as nanocarriers for controlled release of doxorubicin

Nowadays, biodegradable amphiphilic block copolymers with stable performance and adjustable structure have attracted the interests of researchers in the field of drug delivery. In this work, the triblock copolymer, P(SBMD-co-PDO)-b-PEG-b-P(SBMD-co-PDO), was successfully synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of 3(S)-sec-butyl-morpholine-2,5-dione (SBMD) and p-dioxanone (PDO) with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as the initiator. In phosphate buffered solution (PBS), these copolymers could self-assemble into nano-sized micelles that have a hydrophobic P(SBMD-co-PDO) core surrounded by a hydrophilic PEG shell. Because of the strong hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions, doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded into the micelles with high loading capacity (LC, up to 28.4%) and encapsulation efficiency (EE, up to 62.5%). The drug-loaded micelles showed sustained-release of DOX along with the hydrolytic degradation of the micelles in PBS. Therefore, these amphiphilic triblock copolymers have potential as drug matrix for controlled release.