A robust drug delivery
system based on nanosized amphiphilic star-hyperbranched
block copolymer, namely, poly(methyl methacrylate-<i>block</i>-poly(hydroxylethyl methacrylate) (PMMA-<i>b</i>-PHEMA)
is described. PMMA-<i>b</i>-PHEMA was prepared by sequential
visible light induced self-condensing vinyl polymerization (SCVP)
and conventional vinyl polymerization. All of the synthesis and characterization
details of the conjugates are reported. To accomplish tumor cell targeting
property, initially cell-targeting (arginylglycylaspactic acid; RGD)
and penetrating peptides (Cys-TAT) were binding to each other via
the well-known EDC/NHS chemistry. Then, the resulting peptide was
further incorporated to the surface of the amphiphilic hyperbranched
copolymer via a coupling reaction between the thiol (−SH) group
of the peptide and the hydroxyl group of copolymer by using <i>N</i>-(<i>p</i>-maleinimidophenyl) isocyanate as a
heterolinker. The drug release property and targeting effect of the
anticancer drug (doxorobucin; DOX) loaded nanostructures to two different
cell lines were evaluated in vitro. U87 and MCF-7 were chosen as integrin
α<sub>v</sub>β<sub>3</sub> receptor positive and negative
cells for the comparison of the targeting efficiency, respectively.
The data showed that drug-loaded copolymers exhibited enhanced cell
inhibition toward U87 cells in compared to MCF-7 cells because targeting
increased the cytotoxicity of drug-loaded copolymers against integrin
α<sub>v</sub>β<sub>3</sub> receptor expressing tumor cells