Poly[lactic-co-(glycolic acid)]-grafted hyaluronic acid copolymer micelle nanoparticles for target-specific delivery of doxorubicin.

PLGA-grafted HA copolymers were synthesized and utilized as target specific micelle carriers for DOX. For grafting hydrophobic PLGA chains onto the backbone of hydrophilic HA, HA was solubilized in an anhydrous DMSO by nano-complexing with dimethoxy-PEG. The carboxylic groups of HA were chemically grafted with PLGA, producing HA-g-PLGA copolymers. Resultant HA-g-PLGA self-assembled in aqueous solution to form multi-cored micellar aggregates and DOX was encapsulated during the self-assembly. DOX-loaded HA-g-PLGA micelle nanoparticles exhibited higher cellular uptake and greater cytotoxicity than free DOX for HCT-116 cells that over-expressed HA receptor, suggesting that they were taken up by the cells via HA receptor-mediated endocytosis.