A gel-forming clusteroluminogenic polymer with tunable emission behavior as a sustained-release carrier enabling real-time tracking during bioactive agent delivery. (December 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lai, Wing-Fu; Huang, Eric M.; Wong, Wing-Tak
• Is Part Of: Applied materials today. Volume 21(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-12
• Subjects: Gelation -- Sustained release -- Excitation wavelength-dependent emission -- Luminescence -- Imaging; CAP capecitabine -- CTE clusterization-triggered emission -- DAPI 4, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole -- DMAP 4-dimethylaminopyridine -- DMEM Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium -- DMSO-d6 deuterated DMSO -- FBS fetal bovine serum -- FT-IR Fourier-transform infrared -- FWHM full width at half maximum -- GPC gel permeation chromatography -- 1H NMR proton nuclear magnetic resonance -- IP intraperitoneal -- KBr potassium bromide -- LYS lysozyme -- MB methylene blue -- MAh maleic anhydride -- OMAhs oligo(maleic anhydride)s -- PDI polydispersity index -- PL photoluminescence -- PMP poly[(maleic anhydride)-alt-(2, 4, 4-trimethyl-1-pentene)] -- PTX paclitaxel -- SEM scanning electron microscopy -- TGA thermogravimetric analysis -- TGI tumor growth inhibition -- THF tetrahydrofuran -- TUNEL terminal dUTP nick-end labeling -- UPLC ultra-high performance liquid chromatography -- UV-Vis ultraviolet-visible -- WAR water absorption ratio; Materials science -- Periodicals; Materials -- Research -- Periodicals; 620.1105
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apmt.2020.100876
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2352-9407

Abstract

Highlights: CT is a non-conjugated luminescent polymer derived from cellulose. Tunable microstructures of CT enable controlled release of bioactive agents. CT displays clusterization-induced emission for use in self-illuminating therapy. Solutions of CT can form gels in situ via molecular entanglement. In situ gelation of CT can be tracked in real time in a living body after injection. Abstract: Sustained-release carriers with intrinsic luminescence exhibit the potential to combine imaging with bioactive agent delivery in practice. This study reports the synthesis and properties of CT, which is a gel-forming and highly tunable non-conjugated polymer with intrinsic luminescence. Owing to the excitation wavelength-dependent emission tunability of CT, optical imaging can be performed in a wide range of excitation wavelengths. This study is the first proof-of-concept study successfully integrating the property of clusterization-triggered emission into carrier design for combining imaging with bioactive agent delivery. By using cancer therapy as a practical example, our results demonstrate that CT is a depot system that cannot only enhance in vivo antitumor efficacy but can also allow its location and gelation process to be tracked in real time by giving an intrinsic blue-colored fluorescence signal. Together with its high biocompatibility, CT shows high practical potential for executing self-illuminating therapy to tackle cancer. Graphical abstract: Image, graphical abstract