Novel poly(vinyl alcohol)-g-poly(methyl methacrylate) carriers for improved drug delivery

The design and synthesis of novel nanobiomaterials for the encapsulation and delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs that represent 50-70% of the marketed and experimental drug is an area of great scientific and industrial interest. In this work, we synthesized and characterized novel poly(vinyl alcohol)-g-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PVA-PMMA) amphiphilic graft copolymers for the production of drug nanocarriers. Copolymers with growing PMMA content were characterized by 1H-NMR, FTIR and DSC. The critical micellar concentration (CMC) was determined at 25 and 37°C using dynamic light scattering (DLS). The CMC decreased with the increase of the PMMA content. Then, to confer physical stability, the nanoparticles were crosslinked with boric acid which forms a stable complex with PVA. Crosslinked nanoparticles were very stable under extreme dilution (100 times below the CMC) for at least six weeks. Then, cell compatibility was assessed in a human rhabdomyosarcoma cell line, Rh30. Both non-crosslinked and crosslined nano carriers showed excellent cell viability in different concentrations. Finally, we demonstrated the encapsulation capacity of the nanocarriers with the second-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor dasatinib.

Acknowledgements. This work was funded by the European Union`s - Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement #612765-MC-NANOTAR.