Novel anionic fluorine-containing amphiphilic self-assembly polymer micelles for potential application in protein drug carrier

A novel series of anionic fluorine-containing amphiphilic graft copolymers, poly(hexafluorobutyl methacrylate-co-sodium 4-vinylbenzenesulfonate)-g-poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate [poly(HFMA-co-NaSS)-g-PEG], were prepared via the free radical copolymerization. The micellization behavior of the copolymers was studied by critical micelle concentration (CMC), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that poly(HFMA-co-NaSS)-g-PEG copolymers could self-assemble into core/shell structure micelles in aqueous solution. Afterward, the micelles stability was studied by zeta potential measurement, which demonstrated that the copolymer micelles had good stability in biological milieu. The interaction between the copolymer micelles and BSA was characterized by fluorescence spectroscopy, and the morphology of the micelles/BSA complexes was observed by TEM. The results demonstrated that the adsorption could be easily achieved between the copolymer micelles and BSA. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity was evaluated via MTT viability assay, indicating that the copolymer had low toxicity. Our study suggests that poly(HFMA-co-NaSS)-g-PEG micelles have a potential application as the protein drug carrier.