Synthesis and characterization of non-toxic and thermo-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-grafted cashew gum nanoparticles as a potential epirubicin delivery matrix.

Cashew gum (CG) was grafted with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA) by radical polymerization to originate a stimuli-sensitive copolymer for drug delivery purposes. NMR and IR spectroscopy confirmed the insertion of NIPA onto the cashew gum chains. The graft copolymer (CG:NIPA) demonstrated thermal responsiveness. The critical aggregation concentration of the copolymers at 25°C was higher than at 50°C. At temperatures lower than the LCST, the nanoparticle size ranged from 12 to 21nm, depending on the CG:NIPA ratio, but above the LCST the particles aggregated, increasing the particle size. Regarding the potential for future oral application, the nanoparticles showed no cytotoxic activity against the Caco-2 and HT29-MTX intestine cell lines. Epirubicin was encapsulated into nanoparticles of CG-NIPA (1:1), resulting in a 64% association efficiency and 22% loading capacity. Thus, the CG:NIPA graft copolymer demonstrates good potential for used in controlled drug delivery systems.

Probing poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-butylacrylate)/cell interactions by atomic force microscopy.

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) based hydrogels have been proposed as cell culture supports in cell sheet engineering. Toward this goal, we characterized the poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-butylacrylate) copolymer thermo-sensitivity and the cell/copolymer interactions above and below the copolymer lower critical solution temperature. We did that by direct force measurements at different temperatures using an atomic force microscope with either a polystyrene or a glass microbead as probes. We used a copolymer-coated microbead to measure adhesion after a short contact time with a single fibroblast in culture. Statistical analysis of the maximum adhesion force and the mechanical work necessary to separate the probe from the cell surface confirmed the hydrophilic/hydrophobic behavior of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-butylacrylate) as a function of temperature in the range 20-37°C and, consequently, a reversible increase/decrease in cell adhesion with the copolymer. As control experiments we measured interactions between uncoated microbeads with the copolymer hydrogel or cells as well as interaction of the Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) homopolymer with cells. These results show the potential of an assay based on atomic force microscopy for an in situ and quantitative assessment of cell/substrate interactions and support the use of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-butylacrylate) copolymer as an efficient culture substrate in cell sheet engineering.