Self-assembled triblock copolymer hollow vesicles for gene and drug delivery
Résumé
The self-assembly of a triblock copolymer, poly(ethylene glycol)-block-oligo(DTO suberate)-block-poly(ethylene glycol), abbreviated as POP, were synthesized from non-cytotoxic and biodegradable blocks. The number average molecular weight of POP was 15,200 using gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and the hydrophobic ratio was 2.5 using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis. The morphology of the vesicles were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The finding is important for in vivo applications where particulate drug/gene carriers often become ineffective due to instantaneous opsonization upon injection.