Polymers and polymeric nanogels with hydrophilics encapsulation and release capabilities and methods thereof
The invention provides pH- or redox-responsive and charge-neutral polymeric nanogels that stably encapsulate a biomolecule at one pH or redox condition and then release it at a different pH or redox condition, and compositions and methods of preparation and use thereof.
1. A crosslinked polymeric nanogel, adapted to stably encapsulate a hydrophilic biomolecule at a first pH condition and then release it at a second pH condition, wherein the crosslinked polymeric nanogel is crosslinked with an acid-labile crosslinker and comprises the structural unit:
wherein
each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 R 4 , R 5 and R 6 is independently a hydrogen, C 1 -C 12 alkyl group, or halogen;
each of x and y is independently a positive number;
each of m and p is independently an integer from about 1 to about 10;
n is a positive number from 1 to about 200; and
X is independently chosen from O and NH.
2. The crosslinked polymeric nanogel of claim 1 , wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 is a hydrogen.
3. The crosslinked polymeric nanogel of claim 1 , wherein the second pH is lower than the first pH.
4. The crosslinked polymeric nanogel of claim 3 , wherein the second pH is from about 3.5 to about 6.4 and the first pH is from about 6.5 to about 8.0.
5. A crosslinked polymeric nanogel, adapted to stably encapsulate a hydrophilic biomolecule at a first redox condition and then release it at a second redox condition, wherein the crosslinked polymeric nanogel is crosslinked with a redox-labile crosslinker and comprises the structural unit:
wherein
each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 R 4 , R 5 and R 6 is independently a hydrogen, C 1 -C 12 alkyl group, or halogen;
R 7 is independently a hydrogen, C 1 -C 12 alkyl group, or an ethyleneglycol chain with 2 to about 200 repeat units;
each of x and y is independently a positive number;
n is a positive number from 1 to about 200; and
X is independently chosen from O or NH.
6. The crosslinked polymeric nanogel of claim 5 , wherein each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 is a hydrogen.
7. The crosslinked polymeric nanogel of claim 5 , wherein the redox-labile crosslinker comprises one or more moieties selected from acrylate, methacrylate or a disulfide moiety.