Morphology of the Micelles Formed by a Comb-Like PEG-Containing Copolymer Loaded with Antitumor Substances with Different Water Solubilities

Abstract

The controlled delivery of anticancer drugs is driven by their interaction with carrier molecules. By creating complicated micelle-like complexes, amphiphilic polymers provide an opportunity to load drugs of various kinds. In this work, the interaction of the comb-like PEG-containing polymer poly(VEP-co-GMA)-graft-PEG with the water-soluble antitumor antibiotic doxorubicin and new water-insoluble derivatives of thiozalidinone Les-3883 characterized by a high anticancer efficiency has been studied in aqueous solutions by means of the SAXS, DLS, TEM, and photoluminescence methods. The formation of polymer micelles and their complexes with drugs, as well as their structural changes, is observed. The obtained results give evidence that the mechanism of organization of supramolecular complexes depends on the drug solubility in water. A potential capability of poly(VEP-co-GMA)-graft-PEG to prolong the drug circulation lifetime is confirmed.