Comparative studies of bulk samples of hydrolytically-degradable poly(lactic acid) (PLA) vs. core-shell block copolymer micelles having PLA cores revealed remarkable acceleration in the proteinase K enzymatic hydrolysis of the nanoparticulate forms, and demonstrated that even with amidation-based shell crosslinking, the core domain remained accessible. Kinetic analyses by 1H NMR spectroscopy showed less than 20% lactic acid released from enzymatically- catalyzed hydrolysis of poly(L-lactic acid) in bulk, whereas ca. 70 % of the core degraded within 48 h for block copolymer micelles of poly(N-(acryloyloxy)succinimide-copolymer-N-acryloylmorpholine)-block-poly(L-lactic acid) (P(NAS-co-NAM)-b-PLLA), with only a slight reduction to ca. 50 % for the shell crosslinked derivatives. Rigorous characterization measurements by NMR spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were employed to confirm core excavation. These studies provide important fundamental understanding of the effects of nanoscopic dimensions on protein-polymer interactions and polymer degradability, which will guide development of these degradable nanoconstructs to reach their potential for controlled release of therapeutics and biological clearance.

Cationic shell crosslinked knedel-like nanoparticles (cSCKs) have emerged as a highly efficient transfection agent for nucleic acids delivery. In this study, a new class of cSCKs with tunable buffering capacities has been developed by altering the amounts of histamines and primary amines incorporated into their crosslinked shell regions. The effect of histamine content of these nanoparticles with a hydrodynamic diameter of ca. 20 nm, on the siRNA-binding affinity, cytotoxicity, immunogenicity, and transfection efficiency was investigated. The modification of cSCKs with histamine was found to reduce the siRNA-binding affinity and cellular binding. On the other hand, it significantly reduced the toxicity and immunogenicity of the nanoparticles with subsequent increase in the transfection efficiency. In addition, escape from endosomes was facilitated by having two species of low and high pKas (i.e. histamine and primary amine groups, respectively), as demonstrated by the potentiometric titration experiments and the effect of bafilomycin A1, an inhibitor of the endosomal acidification, on the transfection efficiency of cSCKs. Histamine modification of 15 mol% was a threshold, above which cSCKs with higher histamine content completely lost the ability to bind siRNA and to transfect cells. This study highlights the potential of histamine incorporation to augment the gene silencing activity of cationic nanoparticles, reduce their toxicity, and increase their biocompatibility, which is of particular importance in the design of nucleic acids delivery vectors.

Nanoparticles with tunable pharmacokinetics are desirable for various biomedical applications. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is well known to create “stealth” effects to stabilize and extend the blood circulation of nanoparticles. In this work, poly(carboxybetaine) (PCB), a new non-fouling polymer material, was incorporated as surface-grafted coatings, conjugated onto degradable shell crosslinked knedel-like nanoparticles (dSCKs) composed of poly(acrylic acid)- based shells and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) cores, to compare the in vivo pharmacokinetics to their PEG-functionalized analogs. A series of five dSCKs was prepared from amphiphilic block copolymers, having different numbers and lengths of either PEG or PCB grafts, by supramolecular assembly in water followed by shell crosslinking, and then studied by a lactate assay to confirm their core hydrolytic degradabilities. Each dSCK was also conjugated with 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) macrocyclic chelators and tyramine moieties to provide for 64Cu and/or radiohalogen labeling. The high specific activity of 64Cu radiolabeling ensured nanogram administration of dSCKs for in vivo evaluation of their pharmacokinetics. Biodistribution studies demonstrated comparable in vivo pharmacokinetic profiles of PCB-grafted dSCKs to their PEG-conjugated counterparts. These results indicated that PCB-functionalized dSCKs have great potential as a theranostic platform for translational research.

Dual functional hierarchically-assembled nanostructures, in which two unique functions of carrying therapeutic cargo electrostatically and maintaining radiolabeled imaging agents covalently within separate component building blocks, have been developed via the supramolecular assembly of several spherical cationic shell crosslinked nanoparticles clustered around a central anionic shell crosslinked cylinder. The shells of the cationic nanoparticles and the hydrophobic core domain of the anionic central cylindrical nanostructure of the assemblies were utilized to complex negatively-charged nucleic acids (siRNA) and to undergo radiolabeling, respectively, for potential theranostic applications. The assemblies exhibited exceptional cell transfection and radiolabeling efficiencies, providing an overall advantage over the individual components, which could each facilitate only one or the other of the combined functions.

Synthetic asymmetrical systems, Janus particles and patchy particles, are capable of undergoing hierarchical assembly processes that mimic those of Nature, to serve as switchable devices, optical probes, phase-transfer catalysts and multi-functional drug carriers, each of which benefits from opposing surface patterns behaving differently. Production of nanometer-sized Janus particles that are equipped with efficient chemistries remains a challenge. A robust Janus-faced polymer nanoparticle framework that presents two orthogonally click-reactive surface chemistries, has been generated by a recyclable strategy that involves reactive functional group transfer by templating against gold nanoparticle substrates. This anisotropic functionalization approach is compatible with a wide range of soft materials, providing Janus nanoparticles for the construction of dual-functionalized devices by accurately controlling chemical functionality at the nanoscopic level.