Sulfoxide‐Containing Polymer‐Coated Nanoparticles Demonstrate Minimal Protein Fouling and Improved Blood Circulation

Abstract

Minimizing the interaction of nanomedicines with the mononuclear phagocytic system (MPS) is a critical challenge for their clinical translation. Conjugating polyethylene glycol (PEG) to nanomedicines is regarded as an effective approach to reducing the sequestration of nanomedicines by the MPS. However, recent concerns about the immunogenicity of PEG highlight the demand of alternative low‐fouling polymers as innovative coating materials for nanoparticles. Herein, a highly hydrophilic sulfoxide‐containing polymer—poly(2‐(methylsulfinyl)ethyl acrylate) (PMSEA)—is used for the surface coating of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs). It is found that the PMSEA polymer coated IONPs have a more hydrophilic surface than their PEGylated counterparts, and demonstrate remarkably reduced macrophage cellular uptake and much less association with human plasma proteins. In vivo study of biodistribution and pharmacokinetics further reveals a much‐extended blood circulation (≈2.5 times longer in terms of elimination half‐life t 1/2 ) and reduced accumulation (approximately two times less) in the organs such as the liver and spleen for IONPs coated by PMSEA than those by PEG. It is envisaged that the highly hydrophilic sulfoxide‐containing polymers have huge potential to be employed as an advantageous alternative to PEG for the surface functionalization of a variety of nanoparticles for long circulation and improved delivery.

Micro/nanoscale magnetic robots for biomedical applications

“…However, for the parameter of size, its impact on phagocytosis is indeterminate, which is cross-influenced by surface morphology of microrobots, such as the depth of helical grooves. The influence of surface chemistry on the immunogenicity of microrobots is the same as the results reported by many studies for nanomedicines [ 139 , 140 ]. If the surface chemistry shows high resistivity to macromolecules corona formation, microrobots could gain more invisibility to macrophages.…”

Engineering Polymers via Understanding the Effect of Anchoring Groups for Highly Stable Liquid Metal Nanoparticles

“… 13 , 15 , 27 The polymers were prepared through RAFT polymerization by using a chain transfer agent (CTA) terminated with diphosphonate (diphosphonate-CTA) owing to the presence of protected DiPA and TTC group and facile postmodification to expose the thiol group. 36 1 H NMR and 31 P NMR spectra as shown in Figure S2 indicate the successful synthesis of diphosphonate-CTA, in which the chemical shift of the phosphorus signals is 26.62 ppm. Hydrophilic TTC-terminated PEG brush polymers were simply obtained by RAFT polymerization of oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (OEGA, M n = 480) and denoted as TTC-bPEG ( Figure S3 ).…”

Effects of polyethylene glycol on the surface of nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery

“…(3) Looking for non-toxic, biocompatible polymers to replace PEG [183][184][185][186][187][188] ; (4) Further evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the clinical application of invisible NPs; (5) there is no doubt about the benefits of PEGylation of NPs but how to control PEGylation 189 . Finally, the effects of ligand conjugation on the PEG status of active targeting NPs surface are still not clear.…”