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Polymers
Volume 13
Issue 16
10.3390/polym13162639
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Article

Characterization of Thermoresponsive Poly-N-Vinylcaprolactam Polymers for Biological Applications

by
Lorenzo Marsili
1,2,*,
Michele Dal Bo
1,
Giorgio Eisele
3,
Ivan Donati
4,
Federico Berti
2,† and
Giuseppe Toffoli
1,†
1
Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology Unit, CRO National Cancer Institute, IRCCS, Via Franco Gallini 2, 33081 Aviano, Italy
2
Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Licio Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
3
Centro Alta Tecnologia “Istituto di Ricerche Chimiche e Biochimiche G. Ronzoni” Srl, via G. Colombo 81, 20133 Milan, Italy
4
Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Licio Giorgieri 5, 34127 Trieste, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Contributed as last authors.
Polymers 2021, 13(16), 2639; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13162639
Submission received: 16 July 2021 / Revised: 28 July 2021 / Accepted: 4 August 2021 / Published: 8 August 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermoresponsive Polymers)
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Abstract

Poly-N-Vinylcaprolactam (PNVCL) is a thermoresponsive polymer that exhibits lower critical solution temperature (LCST) between 25 and 50 °C. Due to its alleged biocompatibility, this polymer is becoming popular for biomedical and environmental applications. PNVCL with carboxyl terminations has been widely used for the preparation of thermoresponsive copolymers, micro- and nanogels for drug delivery and oncological therapies. However, the fabrication of such specific targeting devices needs standardized and reproducible preparation methods. This requires a deep understanding of how the miscibility behavior of the polymer is affected by its structural properties and the solution environment. In this work, PNVCL-COOH polymers were prepared via free radical polymerization (FRP) in order to exhibit LCST between 33 and 42 °C. The structural properties were investigated with NMR, FT-IR and conductimetric titration and the LCST was calculated via UV-VIS and DLS. The LCST is influenced by the molecular mass, as shown by both DLS and viscosimetric values. Finally, the behavior of the polymer was described as function of its concentration and in presence of different biologically relevant environments, such as aqueous buffers, NaCl solutions and human plasma.
Keywords: poly-N-vinylcaprolactam; thermoresponsive polymers; LCST poly-N-vinylcaprolactam; thermoresponsive polymers; LCST

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MDPI and ACS Style

Marsili, L.; Dal Bo, M.; Eisele, G.; Donati, I.; Berti, F.; Toffoli, G. Characterization of Thermoresponsive Poly-N-Vinylcaprolactam Polymers for Biological Applications. Polymers 2021, 13, 2639. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13162639

AMA Style

Marsili L, Dal Bo M, Eisele G, Donati I, Berti F, Toffoli G. Characterization of Thermoresponsive Poly-N-Vinylcaprolactam Polymers for Biological Applications. Polymers. 2021; 13(16):2639. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13162639

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marsili, Lorenzo, Michele Dal Bo, Giorgio Eisele, Ivan Donati, Federico Berti, and Giuseppe Toffoli. 2021. "Characterization of Thermoresponsive Poly-N-Vinylcaprolactam Polymers for Biological Applications" Polymers 13, no. 16: 2639. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13162639

APA Style

Marsili, L., Dal Bo, M., Eisele, G., Donati, I., Berti, F., & Toffoli, G. (2021). Characterization of Thermoresponsive Poly-N-Vinylcaprolactam Polymers for Biological Applications. Polymers, 13(16), 2639. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13162639

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