Glutathione-triggered disassembly of isothermally responsive polymer nanoparticles obtained by nanoprecipitation of hydrophilic polymers

Abstract

The encapsulation and selective delivery of therapeutic compounds within polymeric nanoparticles offers hope for the treatment of a variety of diseases. Traditional approaches to trigger selective cargo release typically rely on polymer degradation which is not always sensitive to the biological location of a material. In this report, we prepare nanoparticles from thermoresponsive polymers with a ‘solubility release catch’ at the chain-end. This release catch is exclusively activated in the presence of intracellular glutathione, triggering an ‘isothermal’ response and promoting a change in polymer solubility. This solubility switch leads to specific and rapid nanoparticle disassembly, release of encapsulated cargo and produces completely soluble polymeric side-products