Poly(ethylene oxide)-block-Polyphosphoester-graft-Paclitaxel Conjugates with Acid-Labile Linkages as a pH-Sensitive and Functional Nanoscopic Platform for Paclitaxel Delivery

There has been an increasing interest to develop new types of stimuli-responsive drug delivery vehicles with high drug loading and controlled release properties for chemotherapeutics. An acid-labile poly(ethylene oxide)-block-polyphosphoester-graft-PTX drug conjugate (PEO-b-PPE-g-PTX G2) degradable, polymeric paclitaxel (PTX) conjugate containing ultra-high levels of PTX loading is improved significantly, in this second-generation development, which involves connection of each PTX molecule to the polymer backbone via a pH-sensitive -thiopropionate linkage. The PEO-b-PPE-g-PTX G2 forms well-defined nanoparticles in an aqueous solution, by direct dissolution into water, with a number-averaged hydrodynamic diameter of 114 +/- 31 nm, and exhibits a PTX loading capacity as high as 53 wt%, with a maximum PTX concentration of 0.68 mg mL(-1) in water (vs 1.7 g mL(-1) for free PTX). The PEO-b-PPE-g-PTX G2 shows accelerated drug release under acidic conditions (approximate to 50 wt% PTX released in 8 d) compared with neutral conditions (approximate to 20 wt% PTX released in 8 d). Compared to previously reported polyphosphoester-based PTX drug conjugates, PEO-b-PPE-g-PTX G1 without the -thiopropionate linker, the PEO-b-PPE-g-PTX G2 shows pH-triggered drug release property and 5- to 8-fold enhanced in vitro cytotoxicity against two cancer cell lines.