Redox tunable delivery systems: sweet block copolymer micelles via thiol–(bromo)maleimide conjugation

Abstract

Oligosaccharide-based block copolymers (OBCPs) are synthesized by thiol click conjugation using reducing-end thiol-containing xyloglucooligosaccharides and maleimide- or bromomaleimide-terminated polycaprolactone. The self-assembled OBCPs in aqueous solution lead to redox-sensitive micelles with different responsiveness. This distinguishing feature allows us to control the release of entrapped hydrophobic Nile red by mixing both OBCPs.