Synthesis and characterization of amphiphilic block polymer poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(propylene carbonate)-poly(ethylene glycol) for drug delivery

A novel amphiphilic block polymer poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(propylene carbonate)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-PPC-PEG) was synthesized via the dicyclohexylcarbodiimide condensation reaction of double PEG-bis-amine and HOOC-PPC-COOH. The obtained copolymer was characterized by NMR to determine its structure. Using the PEG-PPC-PEG as the carrier and using doxorubicin (DOX) as a model drug, DOX-loaded nanoparticles with core shell structure were synthesized by self-assembly in water. The nanoparticles properties such as particle size, drug loading, encapsulation efficiency (EE) and drug release behavior were investigated as a function of the hydrophobic block length of PPC segments and compared with each other. The results showed that the EE was up to 88.8%. Nanoparticles were found to have a certain effect on the controlled release of DOX.