Synthesis of folate mediated carboxymethyl cellulose fatty acid ester and application in drug controlled release

An amphiphilic polymer, carboxymethyl cellulose-laurate (CMC-C12), was synthesized by esterification of watersoluble carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and hydrophobic lauroyl chloride. Folate, a cancer-cell-specific ligand, was conjugated to CMC-C12 to obtain folate-CMC-C12 (FA-CMC-C12) which could be targeted to folate-receptoroverexpressing cancer cells. FA-CMC-C12 was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The amphiphilic polymer, FA-CMC-C12, can self-assemble into micelles with spherical morphology. The anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) was entrapped inside FA-CMC-C12 micelles. The sustained release of DOX was studied in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at pH 5.6. It indicates that the drug release rates of DOX is about 85% with excess beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) which far exceed the drug release rates of DOX without beta-CD.