Nano-sized self-assemblies produced through ionic crosslinking of polyelectrolytes with multivalent ions are attractive platforms for delivery of drugs, genes, and imaging agents. They are formed under mild conditions and can be easily loaded with cargo molecules. Moreover, owing to the wide spectrum of available building blocks (polyelectrolytes and crosslinkers), they can be designed for responding to different external stimuli such as pH, temperature, light, redox, among others [1,2,3]. However, lack of stability during storage or when dispersed in relevant biological fluids combined with insufficient toxicological characterization, limits their ultimate application [4]. 
Here we present the advantages of poly(allylamine) (PAH) – tripolyphosphate (TPP) self-assemblies. Monodisperse PAH-TPP colloidal complexes of ca. 200 nm (as seen by TEM and DLS) were prepared by a simple one-pot procedure, showing long-time stability (> 6 months) and capacity to be dispersed in complex media (DMEM + FBS) without aggregation. Moreover, they did not exhibit cytotoxicity in A549 cells, neither genotoxicity (as confirmed by comet and micronucleus assays), nor hemolytic activity. Owing to these remarkable features, PAH-TPP self-assemblies are promising candidates for using as stable and safe drug nanocarriers.

(1) Herrera, S. E. et al. Chem Commun 2019, 55, 14653.
(2) Agazzi, M. L. et al. Colloid Surface B 2020, 190, 110895.
(3) Agazzi, M. L. et al. Chem. -Eur. J. 2020, 26, 2456.    
(4) Echeverri-Cuartas, C. E. et al. Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 2020, 158, 1055.

Stability and biocompatibility of ionically crosslinked poly(allylamine)-tripolyphosphate nanocarriers

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