139
Thomas Mavromoustakos et al. (eds.), Supramolecules in Drug Discovery and Drug Delivery: Methods and Protocols,
Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 2207, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0920-0_11,
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2021
Chapter 11
Polymersomes from Hybrids-Polypeptides for Drug
Delivery Applications
Hermis Iatrou, Panagiota G. Fragouli, Dimitris Skourtis,
and Ioanna Stavropoulou
Abstract
Recently, the explosion of progress of materials at the nanoscale level has paved the way for a new category
of healthcare technologies termed nanomedicine. Nanomedicine involves materials at the nanometer level
for products that can improve the currently used technologies for biomedical applications. While traditional therapeutics have allowed for limited control of their distribution in the body and clearing times,
engineering at the nanoscale level has allowed for significant advances in biocompatibility, biodistribution,
and pharmacokinetics. Among all materials, polymers have dominated the nanomedicine world, due to
their ability to manipulate their properties by combining different materials in a wide variety of macromolecular architectures. The development of novel polymeric materials is guided by the goal of improving
patient survival and quality of life by increasing the bioavailability of drug to the site of disease, targeting
delivery to the pathological tissues, increasing drug solubility, and minimizing systemic side effects.
Polymersomes (vesicles) are the only type of polymeric nanocarriers that can physically encapsulate at the
same nanoparticle hydrophilic drugs in their aqueous interior and/or hydrophobic agents within their
lamellar membranes. Polymersomes have been shown to possess superior biomaterial properties compared
to liposomes, including greater stability and storage capabilities, as well as prolonged circulation time.
Key words Nanoparticles, Nanotechnology, Pancreatic cancer, Polymersomes, Polypeptides, Ringopening polymerization
1 Introduction
Well-defined amphiphilic polymers of the ABA and ABC type are
synthesized, where A is poly (l-lysine hydrochloride) (PLL), B is
poly(γ-benzyl-(d7) l-glutamate) (PBLG(-d7)), and C is
poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) [1] (Fig. 1). Both polymers form
polymersomes in water. The polymersomes are loaded with doxorubicin or paclitaxel. It is found that in the ABC, due to asymmetry
of the two hydrophilic blocks, PEO is always on the outer periphery and the dimensions of the vesicles are smaller. The release of
the vesicles is temperature and pH dependent. In vivo, the empty
Thomas Mavromoustakos et al. (eds.), Supramolecules in Drug Discovery and Drug Delivery: Methods and Protocols,
Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 2207, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0920-0_11,
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2021
Chapter 11
Polymersomes from Hybrids-Polypeptides for Drug
Delivery Applications
Hermis Iatrou, Panagiota G. Fragouli, Dimitris Skourtis,
and Ioanna Stavropoulou
Abstract
Recently, the explosion of progress of materials at the nanoscale level has paved the way for a new category
of healthcare technologies termed nanomedicine. Nanomedicine involves materials at the nanometer level
for products that can improve the currently used technologies for biomedical applications. While traditional therapeutics have allowed for limited control of their distribution in the body and clearing times,
engineering at the nanoscale level has allowed for significant advances in biocompatibility, biodistribution,
and pharmacokinetics. Among all materials, polymers have dominated the nanomedicine world, due to
their ability to manipulate their properties by combining different materials in a wide variety of macromolecular architectures. The development of novel polymeric materials is guided by the goal of improving
patient survival and quality of life by increasing the bioavailability of drug to the site of disease, targeting
delivery to the pathological tissues, increasing drug solubility, and minimizing systemic side effects.
Polymersomes (vesicles) are the only type of polymeric nanocarriers that can physically encapsulate at the
same nanoparticle hydrophilic drugs in their aqueous interior and/or hydrophobic agents within their
lamellar membranes. Polymersomes have been shown to possess superior biomaterial properties compared
to liposomes, including greater stability and storage capabilities, as well as prolonged circulation time.
Key words Nanoparticles, Nanotechnology, Pancreatic cancer, Polymersomes, Polypeptides, Ringopening polymerization
1 Introduction
Well-defined amphiphilic polymers of the ABA and ABC type are
synthesized, where A is poly (l-lysine hydrochloride) (PLL), B is
poly(γ-benzyl-(d7) l-glutamate) (PBLG(-d7)), and C is
poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) [1] (Fig. 1). Both polymers form
polymersomes in water. The polymersomes are loaded with doxorubicin or paclitaxel. It is found that in the ABC, due to asymmetry
of the two hydrophilic blocks, PEO is always on the outer periphery and the dimensions of the vesicles are smaller. The release of
the vesicles is temperature and pH dependent. In vivo, the empty