Graft copolymers as drug delivery systems

1. A graft copolymer of poly(vinyl sulfonic-co-vinyl alcohol)-g-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (P(VS-VA)-g-PLGA) with negatively charged electrolyte properties.

2. The graft copolymer according to claim 1 described by formula (I):

wherein

A + is selected from Na + , K + , Li + , NH 4 + , or any other monovalent cation,

the number of monomer units (x1+x2+x3+y) is equal or below 1 000,

the mol ratio (x1+x2+x3)/y is from 10/1 to 1/10,

the mol ratio x2/x3 is from 0 to 1/10,

the mol ratio x1/x3 is from 0 to 1/10, and

“Polyesters” is a random homo- or co-polymer described by formula (II):

—(CO—CR—O—CO—CR) m —OH  (II),

wherein

R is H or CH 3 , and

m is an integer from 1 to 100.

3. The graft copolymer according to claim 2 , wherein A + is Na + or K + .

4. The graft copolymer according to claim 2 , wherein the number of monomer units (x1+x2+x3+y) is equal to or below 300.

5. The graft copolymer according to claim 2 , wherein the mol ratio (x1+x2+x3)/y is from 1/5 to 5/1.

6. The graft copolymer according to claim 2 , wherein the mol ratio x2/x3 is from 0 to 1/20.

7. The graft copolymer according to claim 2 , wherein the mol ratio x1/x3 is from 0 to 1/20.

8. The graft copolymer according to claim 2 , wherein the mol weight ratio of the backbone poly(vinyl sulfonic-co-vinyl alcohol), consisting of all groups x1 and x2 and x3 without “Polyesters” and y according to formula (I), vs. graft PLGA, consisting of all groups “Polyesters” according to formulae (I) and (II), (expressed as P(VS-VA):PLGA) is between 1:2 and 1:30.

9. The graft copolymer according to claim 2 , wherein m is an integer from 5 to 60.

10. The graft copolymer according to claim 2 , wherein the mol ratio of LA (R═CH 3 )/GA (R═H) is between 0 to 100/1 and 100/1 to 0.

11. The graft copolymer according to claim 1 , wherein a glass transition temperature (T g ) of the graft copolymer is between 10 and 50° C.

12. The graft copolymer according to claim 1 , wherein an intrinsic viscosity of the graft copolymer is between 0.01 and 1.0.

13. The graft copolymer according to claim 1 , wherein a 50% degradation time of the graft copolymer is between 2 and 28 days measured under the following conditions:

a) capture of a polymer film from a 5% (w/v) solution of the graft copolymer according to claim 1 in dichloromethane, resulting in a set of equal samples to be treated in the following steps;

b) drying for 72 h at a temperature of 4° C.;

c) removal of residual solvents in vacuo at 25° C. until constant weight;

d) incubation in 0.15 M phosphate buffered saline (PBS), pH 7.4, at 37° C. and gentle shaking once a day;

e) recovering of samples at several points in time during the monitored time course;

f) freeze drying of the recovered samples for ca. 72 h in vacuo at 25° C. until the reach of a constant mass;

g) and the following calculation:

Mass loss (%)=100−(mass(dry)×100/original mass), with:

mass(dry)=weight after step (f) and

original mass=weight after step (c).

14. The graft copolymer according to claim 1 wherein the graft copolymer comprises nanoparticles and a mean particle size of the nanoparticles is between 50 and 500 nm.

15. A method for the synthesis of a graft copolymer of poly(vinyl sulfonic-co-vinyl alcohol)-g-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (P(VS-VA)-g-PLGA) with negatively charged electrolyte properties, comprising:

a) synthesis of a polyelectrolyte backbone by radical copolymerization of vinyl acetate and a vinylsulfonic acid salt in the presence of a polar solvent and a catalyst, optionally followed by at least one operation selected from the group consisting of isolation, purification, and drying of the synthesis product,

b) complete or partial hydrolysis or alcoholysis of the poly(vinylsulfonic-co-vinylacetate) synthesis product of (a) under alkaline conditions in the presence of a solvent, optionally followed by at least one selected from the group consisting of isolation, purification and drying of the hydrolysis or alcoholysis product and,

c) grafting of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) to the sulfonic modified poly(vinyl alcohol) product of b) through ring-opening polymerization in the presence of a catalyst, optionally followed by at least one selected from the group consisting of isolation, purification and drying of the of the grafted product.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the polar solvent is at least one selected from the group consisting of water, methanol, ethanol and isopropanol.

17. The method according to claim 15 wherein the radical polymerization catalyst in (a), is ammonium persulfate (APS).

18. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the hydrolysis or alcoholysis in (b) is conducted with KOH/CH 3 CH 2 OH/H 2 O or NaOH/CH 3 CH 2 OH/H 2 O.

19. The method according to claim 15 wherein the grafting in (c) is conducted with stannous octoate (Sn(Oct) 2 ) as catalyst.

20. The method according to claim 15 comprising:

a) radical copolymerization of vinyl sulfonic acid sodium and vinyl acetate, according to the following reaction scheme:

b) hydrolysis to obtain poly(vinyl sulfonic-co-vinyl alcohol), according to the following reaction scheme:

and

c) grafting with PLGA(LA:GA=50:50), according to the following reaction scheme:

21. The method according to claim 15 , wherein a monomer feeding ratio of vinyl sulfonic:vinyl acetate (VSA:VAc) in (a) is between 2:8 and 8:2 in terms of mol %.

22. The method according to claim 15 , wherein a graft monomer ratio of lactic acid:glycolic acid (LA:GA) in (c) is between 0 to 100 and 100 to 0.

23. The method according to claim 15 , wherein a backbone:graft weight ratio (P(VS-VA):PLGA) in the feed in (c): is between 1:2 and 1:30.

24. A colloidal drug carrier, comprising a graft copolymer according to claim 1 .

25. A colloidal drug carrier, comprising a graft copolymer, synthesized according to claim 15 .

26. The colloidal drug carrier according to claim 24 , which is substantially free from surfactants.

27. Nanoparticles comprising the graft copolymer according to claim 1 , wherein a mean particle size of the nanoparticles is between 50 and 500 nm.

28. The nanoparticles according to claim 27 wherein a polydispersity index of the nanoparticles is between 0.05 and 0.1.

29. The nanoparticles according to claim 27 wherein a zeta-potential of the nanoparticles is between −15 and −60 mV.

30. A method for the synthesis of nanoparticles of a graft copolymer with a mean particle site between 50 and 500 nm, comprising:

a) dissolving the graft copolymer according to claim 1 in an organic solvent,

b) injecting the solution obtained (a) into an aqueous phase and

c) removing the organic solvent.

31. The method according to claim 30 wherein the organic solvent is acetone and the aqueous phase is water having a conductivity below 0.1 μS/cm.

32. A composition comprising:

(a) a biologically and/or pharmaceutically active drug; and

(b) at least one selected from the group consisting of the graft copolymer according to claim 1 , a colloidal drug carrier comprising the graft copolymer according to claim 1 and nanoparticles of the graft copolymer according to claim 1 .

33. The composition according to claim 32 , which is a pharmaceutical composition, for the treatment or prophylaxis of a pulmonary disease or for the administration of systemically acting drugs by inhalation, for human patients.

34. The composition according to claim 32 , wherein the drug is selected from the group consisting of proteins, peptides, peptidic hormones, and small molecular weight organic molecules.

35. The composition according to claim 34 , wherein the drug is a peptidic hormone and the peptidic hormone is at least one selected from the group consisting of interleukins (IL-1 to IL-15), interferons (IFN), neurotrophins (NT-1 to NT-3), colony-stimulating factors (CSF), epidermal growth factors (EGF), neuronal growth factors, prolactin, luteinizing-hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH), insulin, somatostatin, glucagon, gastrin, pentagastrin, urogastrone, calcitonin, seretin, enkephalins, endorphins, antiotensins, renin, bradykinin, tyrocidin, gramicidins, erythropoetin (EPO), angiopeptin, hirudin, oxytocin, vasopressin, calcitonin-gene-related peptide (CGRP), brain-derived growth factors (BDGF), their synthetic analogs and modifications, and their pharmacologically active fragments.

36. The composition according to claim 34 , wherein the drug is a small molecular weight organic molecule which is selected from the group consisting of Salbutamol, Salmeterol, Fenoterol, Indacaterol, Formoterol, Carmoterol, Aclidinium, Ipratropiumbromid, and Tiotropiumbromid, wherein the small molecular weight molecule is optionally in the form of an acid added salt.

37. The colloidal drug carrier according to claim 25 , which is substantially free from surfactants.

38. Nanoparticles comprising the graft copolymer obtained according to claim 15 , wherein a mean particle size of the nanoparticles is between 50 and 500 nm.

39. The nanoparticles according to claim 38 wherein a polydispersity index of the nanoparticles is between 0.05 and 0.1.

40. The nanoparticles according to claim 38 wherein a zeta-potential of the nanoparticles is between −15 and −60 mV.

41. A method for the synthesis of nanoparticles of a graft copolymer with a mean particle site between 50 and 500 nm, comprising:

a) dissolving the graft copolymer synthesized according to claim 15 in an organic solvent,

b) injecting the solution obtained in (a) into an aqueous phase and

c) removing the organic solvent.

42. The method according to claim 41 , wherein the organic solvent is acetone and the aqueous phase is water having a conductivity below 0.1 μS/cm.

43. A composition comprising:

(a) a biologically and/or pharmaceutically active drug and

(b) at least one selected from the group consisting of the graft copolymer synthesized according to claim 15 , a colloidal drug carrier comprising the graft copolymer synthesized according to claim 15 and nanoparticles of the graft copolymer synthesized according to claim 15 .

44. The composition according to claim 43 , which is a pharmaceutical composition, for the treatment or prophylaxis of a pulmonary disease or for the administration of systemically acting drugs by inhalation, for human patients.

45. The composition according to claim 43 , wherein the drug is selected from the group consisting of proteins, peptides, peptidic hormones, and small molecular weight organic molecules.

46. The composition according to claim 45 , wherein the drug is a peptidic hormone and the peptidic hormone is at least one selected from the group consisting of interleukins (IL-1 to IL-15), interferons (IFN), neurotrophins (NT-1 to NT-3), colony-stimulating factors (CSF), epidermal growth factors (EGF), neuronal growth factors, prolactin, luteinizing-hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH), insulin, somatostatin, glucagon, gastrin, pentagastrin, urogastrone, calcitonin, seretin, enkephalins, endorphins, antiotensins, renin, bradykinin, tyrocidin, gramicidins, erythropoetin (EPO), angiopeptin, hirudin, oxytocin, vasopressin, calcitonin-gene-related peptide (CGRP), brain-derived growth factors (BDGF), their synthetic analogs and modifications, and their pharmacologically active fragments.

47. The composition according to claim 45 , wherein the drug is a small molecular weight organic molecule which is selected from the group consisting of Salbutamol, Salmeterol, Fenoterol, Indacaterol, Formoterol, Carmoterol, Aclidinium, Ipratropiumbromid, and Tiotropiumbromid, wherein the small molecular weight molecule is optionally in the form of an acid added salt.

48. The composition according to claim 34 , wherein the drug comprises molecules having more positively charged surface groups than negatively charged surface groups.

49. The composition according to claim 45 , wherein the drug comprises molecules having more positively charged surface groups than negatively charged surface groups.