Efficient Synthesis of Folate-Conjugated Hollow Polymeric Capsules for Accurate Drug Delivery to Cancer Cells

Abstract

This study presents an efficient and systematic approach to synthesize bioapplicable porous hollow polymeric capsules (HPCs). The hydroxyl-functionalized nanoporous polymers with hollow capsular shapes could be generated via the moderate Friedel–Crafts reaction without using any hard or soft template. The numerous primitive hydroxyl groups on these HPCs were further converted to carboxyl groups. Owing to the abundance of highly branched carboxyl groups on the surface of the HPCs, biomolecules [such as folic acid (FA)] could be covalently decorated on these organic capsules (FA-HPCs) for drug delivery applications. The intrinsic hollow porosities and specific targeting agent offered a maximum drug encapsulation efficiency of up to 86% and drug release of up to 50% in 30 h in an acidic environment. The in vitro studies against cancer cells demonstrated that FA-HPCs exhibited a more efficient cellular uptake and intracellular doxorubicin release than bare HPCs. This efficient approach to fabricate carbonyl-functionalized hollow organic capsules may open avenues for a new type of morphological-controlled nanoporous polymers for various potential bioengineering applications.

Emerging porous organic polymers for biomedical applications

“…Then, a brief discussion on their synthetic strategies and functionalization approaches is provided. Subsequently, a detailed description is provided on the applications of POPs in diverse biomedical fields, including drug delivery, 76,101–116 biomacromolecule encapsulation, 117–129 photodynamic and photothermal therapy, 130–147 biosensing, 69,148–151 bioimaging, 152–155 antibacterial, 156–161 bioseparation, 162 and others, as shown in Fig. 2.…”

Regular Polymeric Microspheres with Highly Developed Internal Structure and Remarkable Thermal Stability

“…Recently, biocompatible, fluorescent and targeting agent-conjugated capsules have been presented. It was shown that they permit a more accurate delivery of anticancer drugs and have a better efficacy for drug accumulation [ 27 ]. Similarly, Janus nanoparticles are impressive research materials as they have asymmetric structures and different properties.…”

Triazole-Functionalized Mesoporous Materials Based on Poly(styrene-block-lactic acid): A Morphology Study of Thin Films

“…In principle, this feature would allow the membrane to capture such metallic species through a coordination bond between triazole rings and cations. This type of membrane is used for numerous applications, such as water purification [ 17 ], antifungal and antimicrobial agents [ 18 , 19 ], CO 2 adsorption [ 20 ], drug encapsulation and release [ 21 ], etc.…”