Issue 18, 2018

Soft and flexible poly(ethylene glycol) nanotubes for local drug delivery

Abstract

Nanotubes are emerging as promising materials for healthcare applications but the selection of clinically relevant starting materials for their synthesis remains largely unexplored. Here we present, for the first time, the synthesis of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) based nanotubes via the photopolymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate and other diacrylate derivatives within the pores of anodized aluminum oxide templates. Template-assisted synthesis allowed the manufacture of a diverse set of polymeric nanotubes with tunable physical characteristics including diameter (∼200–400 nm) and stiffness (405–902 kPa). PEG nanotubes were subjected to cytotoxicty assessment in cell lines and primary stem cells and showed excellent cytocompatability (IC50 > 120 μg ml−1). Nanotubes were readily drug loaded but released the majority of the drug over 5 days. Direct administration of drug loaded nanotubes to human orthotopic breast tumors substantially reduced tumor growth and metastasis and outperformed i.v. administration at the equivalent dose. Overall, this nanotube templating platform is emerging as a facile route for the manufacture of poly(ethylene glycol) nanotubes.

Graphical abstract: Soft and flexible poly(ethylene glycol) nanotubes for local drug delivery

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
22 Jan 2018
Accepted
27 Mar 2018
First published
01 May 2018
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Nanoscale, 2018,10, 8413-8421

Soft and flexible poly(ethylene glycol) nanotubes for local drug delivery

B. Newland, C. Taplan, D. Pette, J. Friedrichs, M. Steinhart, W. Wang, B. Voit, F. P. Seib and C. Werner, Nanoscale, 2018, 10, 8413 DOI: 10.1039/C8NR00603B

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements