Developing Precisely Defined Drug-Loaded Nanoparticles by Ring-Opening Polymerization of a Paclitaxel Prodrug

Abstract

Nanoparticles with high paclitaxel (PTX) loading and low systemic toxicity are prepared in scalable and versatile manner via one-step ring-opening polymerization of a prodrug monomer consisting of PTX that is appended to a cyclic carbonate through a hydrolysable ester linker. Initiating this monomer from a hydrophilic macroinitiator results in an amphiphilic diblock copolymer that spontaneously self-assembles into well-defined nanoparticles with tunable size.

Keywords: anticancer; nanoparticle; paclitaxel; prodrug; ring-opening polymerization.