Thermally responsive polymeric micelles self-assembled by amphiphilic polyphosphazene with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and ethyl glycinate as side groups: polymer synthesis, characterization, and in vitro drug release study.

Thermally responsive amphiphilic poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm)-grafted-polyphosphazene (PNIPAm-g-PPP) was synthesized by stepwise cosubstitution of chlorine atoms on polymer backbones with amino-terminated NIPAm oligomers and ethyl glycinate (GlyEt). Polymer structure was confirmed by FT-IR, (1)H NMR, elemental analysis, and GPC. The thermosensitivity of PNIPAm-g-PPP aqueous solution was investigated by turbidity method. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAm-g-PPP was observed to be approximately 30 degrees C in water, while it was 24 degrees C in 0.1M PBS (pH 7.4). Micellization behavior of PNIPAm-g-PPP in aqueous solution was characterized by fluorescence probe technique, TEM, and DLS. The critical micelle concentration (CMC), thus, determined was 0.0187 g/L. Both TEM and DLS measurement suggested that the diameter of micelles was approximately 190 nm at 20 degrees C. Diflunisal (DIF)-loaded micelles were prepared by dialysis method. In vitro release test at various temperatures was also performed to study the effect of temperature on the drug release profiles. It was demonstrated that DIF release from PNIPAm-g-PPP micelles was slower at the temperature of 37 degrees C than that at 4 degrees C.