Poly(ε-caprolactone)-block-polysarcosine by Ring-Opening Polymerization of Sarcosine N-Thiocarboxyanhydride: Synthesis and Thermoresponsive Self-Assembly

Biomacromolecules. 2015 Oct 12;16(10):3265-74. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.5b00930. Epub 2015 Sep 29.

Abstract

Biocompatible amphiphilic block copolymers composed of polysarcosine (PSar) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) were synthesized using ring-opening polymerization of sarcosine N-thiocarboxyanhydride initiated by oxyamine-ended PCL and characterized by NMR, SEC, and DSC. Self-assembling of two triblock copolymers PSar8-b-PCL28-b-PSar8 (CS7) and PSar16-b-PCL40-b-PSar16 (CS10) in dilute solution was studied in detail toward polymersome formation using thin-film hydration and nanoprecipitation techniques. A few giant vesicles were obtained by thin-film hydration from both copolymers and visualized by confocal laser scanning microscope. Unilamellar sheets and nanofibers (with 8-10 nm thickness or diameter) were obtained by nanoprecipitation at room temperature and observed by Cryo-TEM. These lamellae and fibrous structures were transformed into worm-like cylinders and spheres (D∼30-100 nm) after heating to 65 °C (>Tm,PCL). Heating CS10 suspensions to 90 °C led eventually to multilamellar polymersomes (D∼100-500 nm). Mechanism II, where micelles expand to vesicles through water diffusion and hydrophilic core forming, was proposed for polymersome formation. A cell viability test confirmed the self-assemblies were not cytotoxic.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Calorimetry, Differential Scanning
  • Cryoelectron Microscopy / methods*
  • Peptides / chemistry*
  • Polyesters / chemistry*
  • Polymerization
  • Sarcosine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Sarcosine / chemistry

Substances

  • Peptides
  • Polyesters
  • polycaprolactone
  • polysarcosine
  • Sarcosine