Redox-responsive polyanhydride micelles for cancer therapy

Biodegradable polyanhydrides possess unique features like those that they can predominantly undergo surface erosion, and the payloads can be released by a steady speed. However, there is little work that has been published to describe the polyanhydride micelles with redox-responsiveness as a nanocarrier for drug delivery. In this study, we develop one type of new amphiphilic polyanhydride copolymer containing disulfide bonds between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments. The copolymer can self-assemble into stable micelles with well-defined core–shell structure and a uniform size distribution with an average diameter of 69 nm. The disassembly behaviors of the micelles triggered by glutathione are evaluated from the changes of the micellar size, morphology and molecular weight. An approximate zero-order in vitro drug release mode with a fast speed can be achieved in a reducing and acid environment similar with that of tumor cells. In vitro cytotoxicity analysis demonstrate that the Cur-loaded micelles are of great efficiency in inhibiting the growth of cancer cells due to the rapidly intracellular delivery of therapeutic agent. Both the qualitative and quantitative results of the antitumor activity in 4T1 tumor-bearing BALB/c mice reveal that the redox-responsive micelles have a more significant therapeutic effect to artificial solid tumor compared to the redox-insensitive micelles. This study provides a new insight into the biomedical application of polyanhydrides in drug delivery.