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One-pot RAFT and fast polymersomes assembly: a ‘beeline’ from monomers to drug-loaded nanovectors

F. Mastrotto, A. F. Breen, G. Sicilia, S. Murdan, A. D. Johnstone, Georgina Marsh Orcid Logo, C. Grainger-Boultby, N. A. Russell, C. Alexander Orcid Logo, G. Mantovani

Polymer Chemistry, Volume: 7, Issue: 44, Pages: 6714 - 6724

Swansea University Author: Georgina Marsh Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1039/c6py01292b

Abstract

Rapid and simple routes to functional polymersomes are increasingly needed to expand their clinical or industrial applications. Here we describe a novel strategy where polymersomes are prepared through an in-line process in just a few hours, starting from simple acrylate or acrylamide monomers. Usin...

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Published in: Polymer Chemistry
ISSN: 1759-9954 1759-9962
Published: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) 2016
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64802
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Abstract: Rapid and simple routes to functional polymersomes are increasingly needed to expand their clinical or industrial applications. Here we describe a novel strategy where polymersomes are prepared through an in-line process in just a few hours, starting from simple acrylate or acrylamide monomers. Using Perrier's protocol, well-defined amphiphilic diblock copolymers formed from PEG acrylate (mPEGA480), 2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl-3-chloro-4-hydroxybenzoate (ACH) or 2-(3-chloro-4-hydroxybenzamido)ethyl acrylate (CHB), have been synthesised by RAFT polymerisation in one-pot, pushing the monomer conversion for each block close to completion (≥94%). The reaction mixture, consisting of green biocompatible solvents (ethanol/water) have then been directly utilised to generate well-defined polymersomes, by simple cannulation into water or in a more automated process, by using a bespoke microfluidic device. Terbinafine and cyanocobalamine were used to demonstrate the suitability of the process to incorporate model hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs, respectively. Vesicles size and morphology were characterised by DLS, TEM, and AFM. In this work we show that materials and experimental conditions can be chosen to allow facile and rapid generation drug-loaded polymersomes, through a suitable in-line process, directly from acrylate or acrylamide monomer building blocks.
Keywords: Polymersomes, monomers
College: Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
Funders: The authors thank the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC: Grants EP/H006915/1 and EP/H005625/1 Leadership Fellowship (C. A.); EP/L01646X (A. F. B.); EP/I01375X/1 (G. E. M.)).
Issue: 44
Start Page: 6714
End Page: 6724