RATIONAL DESIGN OF DENDRITIC THERMO-RESPONSIVE NANOGELS THAT UNDERGO PHASE TRANSITION ON ENDOLYSOSOMAL CONDITIONS

RIMONDINO, GUIDO N; MICELI, ENRICO; MOLINA, MARIA ; WEDEPOHL, STEFANIE; THIERBACH, STEPHAN; RÜHL, ECKART; STRUMIA, MIRIAM C; MARTINELLI, MARISA; CALDERON, MARCELO

JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY B

ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY

Lugar: LONDRES; Año: 2017 vol. 5 p. 866 - 866

2050-7518

n the last few decades, the synthesis of nanodevices has become a very active research field with many applications in biochemistry, biotechnology, and biomedicine. However, there is still a great need for smart nanomaterials that can sense and respond to environmental changes. Temperature- and pH-responsive nanogels (NGs), which are prepared in a one-pot synthesis from N-isopropylacrylamide (NiPAm) and a Newkome-type dendron (ABC) bearing carboxylic acid groups, are being investigated as multi-responsive drug carriers. As a result, NGs have been developed that are able to undergo a reversible volume phase transition triggered by acidic conditions, like the ones found in endolysosomal compartments of cancer cells. The NGs have been thoroughly characterized using dynamic light scattering and spectroscopies, such as infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance, UV-visible, and stimulated Raman. Strong hydrogen bonds have been detected when the ABC moieties are deprotonated, which has led to cha