Synthesis of drug-loaded functional nanoparticles for biomedical engineering applications

Abstract

Drug-loaded functional nanoparticles have been widely used in drug delivery and controlled release applications. Nanoparticles are very important research field due to their potential applications in biomedicine. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems are the crux of biomedicine and are suitable for targeting chronic diseases such as chronic neurodegenerative diseases and various tumors.

In the first chapter of this dissertation, we created functional retinoic acid (RA)-polyethyleneimine (PEI) complex nanoparticles. To confirm the synthesis of RA-PEI complex nanoparticles, we characterized complex nanoparticles using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), confirming the coating of hydrophilic branched PEI on to the hydrophobic surface of RA. Furthermore, we demonstrated that pH enabled the release of controlled amount of RA from RA-PEI complex nanoparticles, showing that RA exposed to acidic pH was steadily released from complex nanoparticles for 11days. We also observed that embryonic stem (ES) cells cultured with RA-PEI complex nanoparticles differentiated into neuronal cells. Therefore, this RA-PEI complex nanoparticle is a potential powerful tool for directing murine ES cell fate.

In the second chapter of this dissertation, The temperature sensitive nanoparticles were synthesized by the polymerization of N-isopropyl acrylamide and acrylic acid. The anticancer drug (e.g., doxorubicin) was subsequently loaded into the polymeric nanoparticles. The morphological characterization of nanoparticles was done by using transmission electron microscope. The dynamic light scattering and zeta potential analysis showed that the average diameter of nanoparticles was 100 nm with a cationic charge. The temperature-sensitive nanoparticles enhanced the drug release stability, sensitivity, and the selective targeting of anticancer drug. Therefore, the synthesized polymeric nanoparticle might be a powerful carrier to enable the control of anti-cancer drug.