To achieve a high stability in physiological environment and rapid intracellular drug release, a biodegradable zwitterionic triblock copolymer with a
disulfide-linked poly-ε-
caprolactone and
polycarboxybetaine methacrylate (PCBMA-SS-PCL-SS-PCBMA) was prepared for micellar carrier to delivery
doxorubicin (DOX) into
tumor cells. PCBMA-SS-PCL-SS-PCBMA was obtained by following steps: i) introducing
disulfide bonds through end-group modification of PCL diol with
cystamine dihydrochloride; ii) preparing PCL-RAFT macromolecular chain transfer agent by
EDC/NHS chemistry; iii) RAFT polymerization of zwitterionic monomer. Self-assembling from PCBMA-SS-PCL-SS-PCBMA, polymeric
micelles had many advantages, such as ultra-low
protein absorption in serum and obvious reduction-responsiveness in the presence of DTT. Furthermore, DOX-loaded
micelles exhibited high stability upon centrifugation and lyophilization, a fast intracellular drug release and enhanced
drug efficacy due to GSH-triggered PCBMA shell shedding and micellar reassembling. Thus, the polymeric
micelles integrated several functions and properties could be prospectively utilized as valuable nanocarriers in
cancer chemotherapeutics.