Versatile Preparation of Fluorescent Particles Based on Polyphosphazenes: From Micro- to Nanoscale

Abstract

A series of intrinsically fluorescent hydrophobic and amphiphilic polyphosphazenes with ethyl tryptophan (EtTrp) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) or poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as hydrophobic and hydrophilic segments, respectively, are synthesized. Depending on polymer composition and preparation procedure, particles with diameters ranging from micro- to nanoscale can be prepared successfully, which might be used as a visible tracer, both in 14vitro or in 14vivo, in drug- or gene-delivery systems, as well as in other biomedical studies such as diagnostic medicine and brain research. Most importantly, in combination with the flexible synthesis and versatile modification of polyphosphazene, this method provides a general protocol to engineer a broad range of fluorescent particles with different properties based on diverse polymers.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/57545/1/2081_ftp.pd