Synthesis of Poly(ethylene glycol)-Block-Poly(lactide) via Sequential Ring-Opening Polymerization Technique for Preparing Micellar Carriers
With the advancement of nanotechnology and material chemistry, micelles have emerged as one of the most attractive carriers for anticancer drug delivery. In this study, a newly developed polymerization technique termed as “sequential ring-opening polymerization (SROP)“ was used to synthesize poly (ethylene glycol)-block-polylactide-block-polylactide (PEG-PLA-PLAs). Utilizing the features of SROP, well-controlled chain length of two different PLA blocks by using PEG as initiator can be achieved. Two types of PEG-PLA-PLAs, PEG-PLA11-PLA11 and PEG-PLA18-PLA18, were successfully synthesized and characterized. Having amphiphilic properties, PEG-PLA-PLAs were used to form micelles through self-assembly. The effects of PLA length on the resultant micelles were thoroughly investigated.