Abstract
Biodegradable nanogels loaded with rhodamine B isothiocyanate - dextran (RITC-Dx) as a model for water-soluble biomacromolecular drugs were prepared using atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) in a cyclohexane inverse miniemulsion in the presence of a disulfide-functionalized dimethacrylate cross linker. UV-vis spectroscopy was used to characterize the extent of incorporation of RITC-Dx into the nanogels. The loading efficiency of RITC-Dx into the nanogels, exceeded 80%. These nanogels were degraded into polymeric sols in a reducing environment to release the encapsulated carbohydrate drugs. The released carbohydrate biomolecules specifically interacted with concanavalin A in water, suggesting that the biodegradable nanogels could be used as carriers to deliver carbohydrate drugs that can be released upon degradation to bind to pathogens based on lectins.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 3326-3331 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Biomacromolecules |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 1 2007 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Bioengineering
- Biomaterials
- Polymers and Plastics
- Materials Chemistry