Choi Moonhyun, Jazani Arman Moini, Oh Jung Kwon, Noh Seung Man
Research Center for Green Fine Chemicals, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Ulsan 44412, Korea.
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Concordia University, Montreal, QC H4B 1R6, Canada.
Polymers (Basel). 2022 May 31;14(11):2240. doi: 10.3390/polym14112240.
Nitric oxide (NO) plays a critical role as an important signaling molecule for a variety of biological functions, particularly inhibiting cell proliferation or killing target pathogens. To deliver active radical NO gaseous molecule whose half-life is a few seconds in a stable state, the design and development of effective exogenous NO supply nanocarriers are essential. Additionally, the delivery of desired drugs with NO can produce synergistic effects. Herein, we report a new approach that allows for the fabrication of dual ultrasound (US)/glutathione (GSH)-responsive perfluorocarbon (PFC) nanodroplets for the controlled release of model drug and passive release of safely incorporated NO. The approach centers on the synthesis of a disulfide-labeled amphiphilic block copolymer and its use as a GSH-degradable macromolecular emulsifier for oil-in-water emulsification process of PFC. The fabricated PFC nanodroplets are colloidally stable and enable the encapsulation of both NO and model drugs. Encapsulated drug molecules are synergistically released when ultrasound and GSH are presented, while NO molecules are passively but rapidly released. Our preliminary results demonstrate that the approach is versatile and can be extended to not only GSH-responsive but also other stimuli-responsive block copolymers, thereby allowing for the fabrication of broad choices of stimuli-responsive (smart) PFC-nanodroplets in aqueous solution for dual delivery of drug and NO therapeutics.
一氧化氮(NO)作为一种重要的信号分子,在多种生物学功能中发挥着关键作用,尤其在抑制细胞增殖或杀灭靶病原体方面。为了稳定地递送半衰期仅为几秒的活性自由基NO气体分子,设计和开发有效的外源性NO供应纳米载体至关重要。此外,将所需药物与NO一起递送可产生协同效应。在此,我们报道了一种新方法,可制备双超声(US)/谷胱甘肽(GSH)响应性全氟碳(PFC)纳米液滴,用于模型药物的控释和安全包封的NO的被动释放。该方法的核心是合成一种二硫键标记的两亲性嵌段共聚物,并将其用作GSH可降解的大分子乳化剂,用于PFC的水包油乳化过程。制备的PFC纳米液滴具有胶体稳定性,能够同时包封NO和模型药物。当存在超声和GSH时,包封的药物分子会协同释放,而NO分子则被动但快速释放。我们的初步结果表明,该方法具有通用性,不仅可以扩展到GSH响应性嵌段共聚物,还可以扩展到其他刺激响应性嵌段共聚物,从而能够在水溶液中制备多种刺激响应性(智能)PFC纳米液滴,用于药物和NO治疗的双重递送。