Studies on preparations and pH/redox responsiveness of zwitterionic nanomicelles of poly[lysine-co-N,N-bis(acryloyl)cystamine-co-dodecylamine]

PolyL-lysine-co-N,N-bis(acryloyl) cystamine-co-dodecylamine] nanomicelles (NMs) were synthesized through Michael addition terpolymerization in one pot. The NMs showed spheric morphology and uniform size distributions. The NMs had excellent nonspecific protein adsorption ability at pH 7.4. Doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded in the NMs for the investigation of controlled release. The drug delivery results showed that the DOX-loaded NMs displayed apparent pH and reduction sensitivities in response to the environment of tumor cells due to the existence of carboxyl groups, amino groups, and disulfide bonds in the NMs. The NMs were biocompatible, biodegradable, and could be potentially used as drug vehicles in controlled release.