Boronic acid ester with dopamine as a tool for bioconjugation and for visualization of cell apoptosis

Abstract

Boronic esters are investigated as a pathway to conjugate biological molecules to polymers. Although the stability of the boronic ester was slightly dependent on the molecular weight of the polymer and the pH value, the conjugates were stable when micelles were endocytosed by cells. Only the onset of apoptosis led to cleavage of the boronic ester.