Abstract
Hydrophobic segments of poly(caprolactone), PCL, were synthesized from ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone and then grafted on hydrophilic dextran molecules to form amphiphilic copolymer Dextran-grafted-poly(caprolactone). The copolymers Dex-g-PCL exhibited critical aggregation concentration (CAC) at 1µg/mL in water, and self-assembled into nanoparticles of 140 nm in diameter, mainly via hydrophilic-hydrophobic interactions of polymer chains in aqueous solutions. Water-insoluble curcumin and anticancer agent paclitaxel were incorporated into these nanoparticles with encapsulation efficiency up to 45% and 61.9%, depending on the loading ratio. The in-vitro release profiles showed biphasic patterns, while sizes remained stable in 37°C for more than 1 month. Void nanoparticles showed low cytotoxicity toward human fibroblasts HS-68 and HeLa cell line; however, paclitaxel- and curcumin-loaded nanoparticles showed IC50 value about 0.0005 and 2 ppm, respectively toward HeLa cell line. High biocompatibility of nanoparticles and effects of encapsulated anticancer agents were verified. Composed of amphiphilic copolymer Dex-g-PCL, the nanoparticles showed great potential in the application of sustainable drug release.