Issue 21, 2021

Stealth nanorods via the aqueous living crystallisation-driven self-assembly of poly(2-oxazoline)s

Abstract

The morphology of nanomaterials critically influences their biological interactions. However, there is currently a lack of robust methods for preparing non-spherical particles from biocompatible materials. Here, we combine ‘living’ crystallisation-driven self-assembly (CDSA), a seeded growth method that enables the preparation of rod-like polymer nanoparticles, with poly(2-oxazoline)s (POx), a polymer class that exhibits ‘stealth’ behaviour and excellent biocompatibility. For the first time, the ‘living’ CDSA process was carried out in pure water, resulting in POx nanorods with lengths ranging from ∼60 to 635 nm. In vitro and in vivo study revealed low immune cell association and encouraging blood circulation times, but little difference in the behaviour of POx nanorods of different length. The stealth behaviour observed highlights the promising potential of POx nanorods as a next generation stealth drug delivery platform.

Graphical abstract: Stealth nanorods via the aqueous living crystallisation-driven self-assembly of poly(2-oxazoline)s

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
16 Febr. 2021
Accepted
10 Apr. 2021
First published
12 Apr. 2021
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2021,12, 7350-7360

Stealth nanorods via the aqueous living crystallisation-driven self-assembly of poly(2-oxazoline)s

J. R. Finnegan, E. H. Pilkington, K. Alt, Md. A. Rahim, S. J. Kent, T. P. Davis and K. Kempe, Chem. Sci., 2021, 12, 7350 DOI: 10.1039/D1SC00938A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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