The effect of topology of PEG chain on the stability of micelles in brine and serum

• Published in: Colloid and interface science communications 2021-03, Vol.41, p.100386, Article 100386
• Main Authors: Wu, Bin, Huang, Wei-Qiang, Nie, Xuan, Zhang, Ze, Chen, Guang, Wang, Hai-Li, Wang, Fei, Ding, Shen-Gang, Hao, Zong-Yao, You, Ye-Zi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Against aggregation; Drug delivery; Flower micelles; Stability
• ISSN: 2215-0382; 2215-0382
• DOI: 10.1016/j.colcom.2021.100386

Polymeric micelles are promising vehicles for drug delivery these years. The stability of micelles in blood system is very important for the encapsulated therapeutic agents reaching the targeting area. However, generally, micelles are not stable in the presence of proteins and ions after being injected intravenously. The topology of polymer chain on the surface of micelles plays a key role on the stability of micelles. Here we have prepared flower micelles and the traditional micelles via self-assembly of triblock and diblock copolymer of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) in water. The special PEG shell of flower micelles prevents micelles from ions and proteins, which endows the micelles with the ability to resist aggregation. The experiment results show that flower micelles are much more stable in the presence of serum and salt than traditional micelles, which indicates these micelles would be promising in drug delivery in the future. [Display omitted] •The topology of polymer chain on the surface of micelles.•The superior stability to resist aggregation of flower micelles in brine.•The less protein adsorption and aggregation of flower micelles in serum.•Provide a new method to construct stable micelles against aggregation for drug delivery.