Triblock Copolymer Micelles with Tunable Surface Charge as Drug Nanocarriers: Synthesis and Physico-Chemical Characterization

Polymeric micelles have gained increasing interest as efficient drug delivery systems for cancer treatment and diagnosis. The aim of the present study was to construct and to evaluate novel polymeric nanosized drug carriers with tunable surface charges. Initially, amphiphilic triblock copolymers with predetermined molar mass characteristics were synthesized by applying controlled polymerization techniques. The copolymers self-assembled in aqueous media into core–shell spherical micelles, comprising a biodegradable hydrophobic poly(D,L-lactide) core, positively charged middle layer of poly((2-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate), and an outer shell of neutral hydrophilic poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate), with various densities of the short polyether side chains. The block copolymer micelles with average diameters of about 70 nm and surface charges varying from strongly positive to neutral were characterized and loaded with the model, natural, hydrophobic drug curcumin. Characteristics such as drug loading efficiency, in-vitro drug release profiles, and stability under physiological conditions were evaluated and discussed in terms of nanocarriers’ composition. As a result, the most promising candidates for potential application in nanomedicine were identified.