Rational design of dendritic thermo-responsive nanogels that undergo phase transition on endolysosomal conditions

GUIDO NOE RIMONDINO; ENRICO MICELLI; MARIA MOLINA; H WEDEPOHL; S. THIERBACH; E. RÜHL; MIRIAM C. STRUMIA; MARISA MARTINELLI; MARCELO CALDERÓN

JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY

ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY

Lugar: CAMBRIDGE; Año: 2016

0959-9428

n the last few decades the synthesis of nanodevices has become a very active research field, with broad applications on biochemistry, biotechnology, and biomedicine. However, there is still a great need for smart nanomaterials that can sence and respond to environmental changes. Herein, temperature and pH-responsive nanogels (NG) prepared in a one-pot synthesis from N-isopropylacrylamide (NiPAm) and a Newkome-type dendron (ABC) bearing carboxilic acid groups, were investigated as multi-responsive drug carriers. As result, NGs that were able to undergo a reversible volume phase transition triggered by acidic conditions, as those found on endolysosomal compartment of cancer cells, were developed. The NGs were throughly characterized by means of dynamic light scattering and spectroscopies such as infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance, UV-visible, and stimulated Raman. Strong hydrogen bonds were detected when the ABC moieties were deprotonated, leading to changes on the transition temperat