Fabrication of gas-generating polymer micelles for fat reduction
발표자
()
초록
내용
Polymer nanoparticles have been widely used in various biomedical applications including local fat reduction. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) has been also extensively exploited in the fabrication of polymer micelles. We hypothesized that the cellular uptake of PEG-based micelles modified with cell-penetrating peptide could be enhanced when locally delivered to the adipocytes. PEG-alkyl carbonate was first synthesized via alkyl halide reaction as a carbon dioxide-generating polymer, and cell-penetrating peptide (9r) was next coupled to the polymer. Polymer micelles were then prepared by solvent evaporation method and their various characteristics such as morphology, size and size distribution, and gas-generating capability were investigated. The cytotoxicity and cellular uptake of micelles were also investigated in vitro. This approach may provide a useful means for the local fat reduction.