Posted by A paper has recently come out open-access in Biomacromolecules reporting on pH-Responsive Polymersome Microparticles as Smart Cyclodextrin-Releasing Agents (DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.9b01083).
Through an easy-to-use approach, a benzoic imine linkage is incorporated into a poly(ε-caprolactone) backbone and employed as a building block in the construction of a CD-appended, pH-sensitive polymer that self-assembles into stable polymersome microparticles. Such stimuli-responsive nanosystems are stable at physiological pH but degrade at slightly acidic pH making this system potentially suitable to exploit pH gradients in biological compartments such as the lysosome. The microparticles showed cellular uptake representing promising CD-releasing agents and therefore potential therapeutic tool in the treatment of cholesterol-associated conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases and NPC[1].
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 786560
[1] https://cyclodextrinnews.com/2018/09/22/therapeutic-potential-for-cyclodextrin%e2%80%90based-macromolecular-systems-in-npc/