A Novel Linear Dendritic Amphiphilic Block Copolymer as a Viable Drug Delivery Carrier

A linear dendritic amphiphilic block copolymer (LDP) that self assembles into micelles in aqueous solution was synthesized and developed as a potential drug delivery carrier. In these micelles, the hydrophobic linear block forms the micellar core, which can encapsulate hydrophobic drugs, while the hydrophilic dendron forms the outer shell. The polymer forms stable micelles in water with a low CMC of 10-8 M. It is expected that such stability will allow the LDP micelles to withstand dilution in blood. Dynamic light scattering data showed that these micelles are about 70 nm in diameter, which is in the appropriate size window for a drug delivery carrier in the body. These micelles exhibited good circulation times (~20 h) in mice and are non-toxic to mice up to 12 mg/ml.