Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A pH-sensitive theranostics system based on doxorubicin conjugated with the comb-shaped polymer coating of quantum dots

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Materials Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A two-phase route was developed to form a new theranostics-based system. The comb polymer poly (glycidyl methacrylate)-graft-ethane diamine-graft-polyethylene glycol (PGMA-g-EDA-g-PEG) was used to modify the quantum dots (QDs) by the method of ligand exchange. Subsequently, due to a large amount of amino groups on the surface of QDs, the doxorubicin (DOX) was conjugated by amine bonds to form pH-sensitive drug release system. UV–vis transmission spectra and PL spectra showed that the nanoparticles maintained the optical properties of QDs and DOX. The transmission electron microscopy analysis indicated that QDs were well dispersed in water and still had small sizes (7 nm) after ligand exchange and conjugated with DOX. Then the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed that about 80 wt% comb-shaped polymers coated on the surface of QDs, and about 10 wt% QDs was in nanoparticles PGMA-g-EDA-g-PEG-QDs-DOX. In vitro release studies showed that PGMA-g-EDA-g-PEG -DOX and PGMA-g-EDA-g-PEG-QDs-DOX were pH sensitive. Findings from this study suggested that nanoparticles PGMA-g-EDA-g-PEG-QDs-DOX can be used in a new field combined both imaging and targeted therapy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Gao XH, Cui YY, Levenson RM, Chung LWK, Nie SM (2004) In vivo cancer targeting and imaging with semiconductor quantum dots. Nat Biotechnol 22:969–976

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Ma ML, Zhang QY, Xin TJ, Zhang HP, Geng WC, Zhou J (2013) Preparation and characterization of structure-tailored magnetic fluorescent Fe3O4/P(GMA–EGDMA–NVCz) core–shell microspheres. J Mater Sci 48:5302–5308

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Christoforou TK, Georgiou KT (2013) Polymeric theranostics: using polymer-based systems for simultaneous imaging and therapy. J Mater Chem B 1:3002–3025

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Zhao Q, g Rong XL, Ma HB, Tao GH (2013) Aqueous synthesis of CdSe and CdSe/CdS quantum dots with controllable introduction of Se and S sources. J Mater Sci 48:2135–2141

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Derfus AM, Chan WCW, Bhatia S (2004) Probing the cytotoxicity of semiconductor quantum dots. N Adv Mater 16:961–966

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Gao XH, Yang LL, Petros JA, Marshall FF, Simons JW, Nie SM (2005) In vivo molecular and cellular imaging with quantum dots. Curr Opin Biotechnol 16:63–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Ma YS, Zhang BB, Gu M, Huang SM, Liu XL, Liu B, Ni C (2013) Bulk synthesis of homogeneous and transparent bulk core/multishell quantum dots/PMMA nanocomposites with bright luminescence. J Appl Polym. doi:10.1002/APP.39338

    Google Scholar 

  8. Macotela LGV, Torchynska TV, Douda J, Sierra RP, Shcherbyna (2011) Radiative interface state study in CdSe/ZnS quantum dots covered by polymer. L. Mater. Sci. Eng. B. 176:1349–1352

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Zhang T, Yuan HP, Suo HL (2009) Water-soluble CdSe/ZnS quantum dots passivated by poly (glycino amino acid) phosphazenes. Trans Nonferrous Met Soc 19:645–650

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Sun T, Li K, Li CJ, Zhao WO, Chen L, Chang YL (2012) Optimizing conditions for encapsulation of QDs by varying PEG chain density of amphiphilic centipede-like copolymer coating and exploration of QDs probes for tumor cell targeting and tracking. New J Chem 36:2383–2391

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Zrazheyskiy P, Sena M, Gao XHChem (2010) Designing multifunctional quantum dots for bioimaging, detection, and drugdelivery. Soc Rev 39:4326–4354

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Cui Y, Gong XQ, Zhu SJ, Li YH, Su WY, Yang QH, Chang J (2012) A facile method to prepare high-performance magnetic and fluorescent bifunctional nanocomposites and their preliminary application in biomolecule detection. J Mater Chem 22:462–469

    Google Scholar 

  13. Barat B, Sirk SJ, McCabe KE, Li J, Lepin EJ, Remenyi R, Koh AL, Olafsen T, Gambhir SS, Weiss S, Wu AM (2009) Cys-diabody quantum dot conjugates (immunoqdots) for cancer marker detection. Bioconjugate Chem 20:1474–1481

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Medintz IL, Clapp AR, Brunel FM, Tiefenbrunn T, Uyeda HT, Chang EL, Deschamps JR, Dawson PE, Mattoussi H (2006) Proteolytic activity monitored by fluorescence resonance energy transfer through quantum-dot-peptide conjugates. Nat Mater 5:581–589

    Google Scholar 

  15. Wang QQ, Kong M, An Y, Liu Y, Li JJ, Zhou X, Feng C, Li J, Jiang SY, Cheng XJ, Chen XG (2013) Hydroxybutyl chitosan thermo-sensitive hydrogel: a potential drug delivery system. J Mater Sci 48:5614–5623

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Arap W, Pasqualini R, Ruoslahti E (1998) Cancer treatment by targeted drug delivery to tumor vasculature in a mouse model. Science 279:377–380

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Gao QH, Han XL, Zhu J, Chen RJ, Sun BW (2012) A polymer–drug conjugate for doxorubicin: synthesis and biological evaluation of pluronic F127-doxorubicin amide conjugates. J Appl Ploym Sci 124:4960–5953

    Google Scholar 

  18. Kamimura M, Furukawa T, Akiyamac S, Nagasaki Y (2013) Enhanced intracellular drug delivery of pH-sensitive doxorubicin/poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(4-vinylbenzylphosphonate) nanoparticles in multi-drug resistant human epidermoid KB carcinoma cells. Biomater Sci 1:361–367

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Bae Y, Fukushima S, Harada A, Kataoka K (2003) Design of environment-sensitive supramolecular assemblies for intracellular drug delivery: polymeric micelles that are responsive to intracellular pH change. Angew Chem 42:4640–4643

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Zhao JH, Huang DT, Yin ZY, Chi XQ, Wang XM, Gao JH (2012) Magnetite nanoparticles as smart carriers to manipulate the cytotoxicity of anticancer drugs: magnetic control and pH-responsive release. J Mater Chem 22:15717–15725

    Google Scholar 

  21. Liu YS, Chen WB, Kim H (2012) pH-responsive release behavior of genipin-crosslinked chitosan/poly (ethylene glycol) hydrogels. J Appl Polym Sci 125:290–298

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Wang YZ, Zhu M, Huang HL, Li YX, Li YP, Wang JY (2013) SYNTHESIS of comb polymer PGMA-g-EDA and studies of the modified quantum dots. Acta Polym Sin 8:1046–1309

    Google Scholar 

  23. Koktysh D, Bright V, Pham W (2011) Fluorescent magnetic hybrid nanoprobe for multimodal bioimaging. Nanotechnology 22:275606

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Barrera C, Herrera AP, Rinaldi C (2009) Colloidal dispersions of monodisperse magnetite nanoparticles modified with poly (ethylene glycol). J Colloid Interf Sci 329:107–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Zhao YL, Liu S, Li YP, Jiang W, Chang YL, Pan S, Fang XX, Wang YA, Wang JY (2010) Synthesis and grafting of folate–PEG–PAMAM conjugates onto quantum dots for selective targeting of folate-receptor-positive tumor cells. J Colloid Interf Sci 350:44–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Tian Y, Glogowska A, Zhong W, Klonisch T, Xing M (2013) Polymeric mesoporous silica nanoparticles as a pH-responsive switch to controldoxorubicin intracellular delivery. J Mater Chem B 1:5264–5272

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Palma RD, Peeters S, Bael MJV, Rul HVD, Bonroy K, Laureyn W, Mullens J, Borghs G, Maes G (2007) Silane ligand exchange to make hydrophobic superparamagnetic nanoparticles water-dispersible. Chem Mater 19:1821–1831

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 20904014) and the Ph.D. Programs Foundation (20120061110076). We are grateful to Dr Y. Andrew Wang (Ocean Nanotech) for providing the quantum dot samples.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Alan G. MacDiarmid Institute of Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun, 130023, People’s Republic of China

    Yuzhen Wang, Hailong Huang, Yapeng Li & Jingyuan Wang

  2. First Hospital of Jilin University, 261 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130023, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaonan Zhang

  3. Jilin University, Japan Union Hospital, 126 Xiantai Street, Changchun, 130033, People’s Republic of China

    Zheli Xu

Authors
  1. Yuzhen Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xiaonan Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zheli Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Hailong Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yapeng Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jingyuan Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yapeng Li.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wang, Y., Zhang, X., Xu, Z. et al. A pH-sensitive theranostics system based on doxorubicin conjugated with the comb-shaped polymer coating of quantum dots. J Mater Sci 49, 7539–7546 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-014-8461-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-014-8461-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation