The softer and more hydrophobic the better: influence of the side chain of polymethacrylate nanoparticles for cellular uptake.

Intracellular uptake of nanoparticles is highly interesting for labeling of cells, drug delivery, or non-viral gene delivery. In this study we have synthesized a wide variety of poly(alkyl methacrylate) nanoparticles with the same size and investigated their uptake into cells. The nanoparticles were prepared from alkylmethacrylates with different linear and branched ester chains as well as from benzylmethacrylate using the miniemulsion polymerizaiton technique. By adding a fluorescent dye as a marker, the internalization of the nanoparticles could be investigated quantitatively with flow cytometry and qualitatively with confocal laser scanning microscopy. With increasing side chain of the ester and therefore increasing hydrophobicity and at glass transition temperature (T(g)), below the incubation temperature of 37 degrees C the uptake of the nanoparticles into cells is favored.