Polyoxazoline Thermoresponsive Micelles as Radionuclide Delivery Systems

Abstract

Abstract Thermoresponsive polymer micelles are promising drug and radionuclide carriers with a strong passive targeting effect into solid tumors. We have synthesized ABA triblock copolymers poly[2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline‐ block ‐(2‐isopropyl‐2‐oxazoline‐ c o‐2‐butyl‐2‐oxazoline)‐ block ‐2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline]. These polymers are molecularly dissolved in aqueous millieu below the cloud point temperature (CPT) of the thermoresponsive central block and above CPT form polymer micelles at CMC 5–10 × 10 −5 g · mL −1 with diameter ≈200 nm. The phenolic moiety introduced into the copolymer allowed radionuclide labeling with iodine‐125 ongoing in good yield with sufficient in vitro stability under model conditions. magnified image