• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.515-519
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• 2009

Biodegradable poly((R)-3-hydroxy butyrate) and poly(ethylene glycol) was conjugated to make amphiphilic di-block copolymer. Folate was conjugated at di-block copolymer to target the cancer cells. Copolymer was ready to form the self-assembled micelle whose size was 125~156 nm in aqueous solution. Griseofulvin as a hydrophobic drug was loaded in nanoparticles. Their loading efficiencies were 35~56%. Hydrophobic drug was continuously released for 24 h. Cell viability test showed that folate attached particles were 10% more efficient than the particles without targeting ligands.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.68-73
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• 2005

Epi-xanthatin analogs containing hydrophilic substituents such as carboxylic acid, alcohol, morpholine, amino acid, and glucose derivatives were synthesized and their in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo antitumor activity were evaluated. The target compounds were generally cytotoxic against tumor cell lines of human origin with $ED_{50}$ values of $0.1{\sim}30{\mu}g/ml$, except the highly hydrophilic analog 6 containing aspartic acid. Contrary to the potent cytotoxicity weakly hydrophilic analogs 2 and 8 were not active in vivo, or even toxic to the test animals. As a result, hydrophilic analog of epi-xanthatin did not show in vitro cytotoxicity and hydrophobic analogs did not show in vivo antitumor activity, thus it is presumed that amphiphilic analogs or those with medium hydrophilicity would exhibit the antitumor potency in vivo.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.2-8
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• 2003

The self-assembly of polymers can lead to supramolecular systems and is related to the their functions of material and life sciences. In this article, self-assembly of Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films, polymer micelles, and polymeric nanoparticles, and their biomedical applications are described. LB surfaces with a well-ordered and layered structure adhered more cells including platelet, hepatocyte, and fibroblast than the cast surfaces with microphase-separated domains. Extensive morphologic changes were observed in LB surface-adhered cells compared to the cast films. Amphiphilic block copolymers, consisting of poly(${\gamma}$-benzyl L-glutamate) (PBLG) as the hydrophobic part and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) [or poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm)] as the hydrophilic one, can self-assemble in water to form nanoparticles presumed to be composed of the hydrophilic shell and hydrophobic core. The release characteristics of hydrophobic drugs from these polymeric nanoparticles were dependent on the drug loading contents and chain length of the hydrophobic part of the copolymers. Achiral hydrophobic merocyanine dyes (MDs) were self-assembled in copolymeric nanoparticles, which provided a chiral microenvironment as red-shifted aggregates, and the circular dichroism (CD) of MD was induced in the self-assembled copolymeric nanoparticles.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.311-317
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• 2002

The quantitative analysis of polymer micelles consisting of amphiphilic block copolymers was carried out by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). The block copolymers, made of poly(2-ethoxyethyl vinyl ether-b-2-hydroxyethyl vinyl ether)(poly(EOVE-b-HOVE)), exhibited a sharp morphological transition from a homogeneous solution to a micelle structure with increasing temperature. This transition is accompanied by a formation of spherical domains of poly(EOVE) with a radius around 200 $\AA$. The variations of the size and its distribution of the domains were investigated as a function of polymer concentration and temperature. The validity of SANS analysis, including the wavelength- and incident-beam-smearing effects of the SANS instrument, was examined with a pre-calibrated polystyrene latex.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.155-162
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• 2008

We report the successful synthesis of poly(NBECOOH-b-NBEPOSS) copolymers, taking advantage of the sequential, living ring opening metathesis polymerization of NBETMS and NBEPOSS using the $RuCl_2(=CHPh)(PCY_3)_2$/$CH_2Cl_2$/$20^{\circ}C$ system, followed by the hydrolysis of trimethylsilyl groups in poly(NBETMS-b-NBEPOSS) copolymers. The living behavior of ROMP of NBETMS was first investigated using two diagnostic plots, a first order kinetic plot and a $\bar{M}_n$ vs. conversion plot. The plots confirmed that no termination and chain transfer reaction had occurred during polymerization. Poly(NBECOOH-b-NBEPOSS) copolymers were prepared using the sequential monomer addition of NBEPOSS to living poly(NBETMS) chain ends, followed by the hydrolysis of trimethylsilyl groups in the poly(NBETMS-b-NBEPOSS) copolymers. The high structural integrity of poly(NBE-COOH-b-NBEPOSS) copolymers was confirmed by $^1H$-NMR, $^{13}C$-NMR spcctroscopy and GPC.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.110-116
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• 2021

In this work, the surface of hydrophilic cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) was modified precisely by varying amounts of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) to produce CNF-based particle surfactants. We found that a critical CTAB density was required to generate amphiphilic CTAB-grafted CNF (CNF-CTAB). Compared to pristine CNF, CNF-CTAB was highly efficient at stabilizing oil-in-water Pickering emulsions. To evaluate their effectiveness as particle surfactants, the surface coverage of oil-in-water emulsion droplets was determined by changing the CNF-CTAB concentration in the aqueous phase. Furthermore, styrene-in-water stabilized by CNF-CTAB surfactants was thermally polymerized to produce CNF-stabilized polystyrene (PS) particles, offering a great potential for various applications including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and petrochemicals.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.151-156
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• 2022

Liposomes are bilayered particles that are surrounded by an aqueous solvent with amphiphilic substances such as phospholipids. Liposomes have the potential to overcome the limitations of physiochemical properties of existing drugs, and are therefore widely used in research for the treatment of many diseases, especially cancer. Currently, there are many liposome manufacturing methods that use various lipids and amphiphiles. Among them, the thin film-hydration method is a traditional and very simple method to prepare liposomes by hydrating a dry lipid film in an aqueous solvent, which has been widely used in the laboratory until recently. Recently, approaches to new nuclear imaging agents and radiotherapy by loading radioactive isotopes inside liposomes have been actively studied. In this review, we would like to discuss considerations for preparing liposomes using the thin film-hydration method.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.131-135
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• 2023

Lecithin self-assembles into reverse spherical micelles in organic solvents as an amphiphilic molecule. When additives such as bile salts and water are introduced into lecithin solutions, it induces structural changes in the molecular form of lecithin, leading to the transformation into reverse cylindrical micelles. In this study, we observe the rheological changes of lecithin/bile salt mixtures in a decane system after the addition of water. The resulting mixtures exhibit high viscosity and characteristics of viscoelasticity, suggesting potential applications in various fields such as drug delivery and edible oil gels.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.451-457
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• 2024

This study focused on the development of a dequalinium-containing oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion (DQE) system for delivering the mitochondria-targeted anticancer agent, curcumin. Dequalinium is a mitochondria-targeting agent with known antibacterial and anticancer properties, and its efficacy in treating malaria has been previously recognized. Structurally, dequalinium is amphiphilic, comprising hydrophobic methylene and hydrophilic quinaldinium groups. In this study, curcumin, a well-documented anticancer and antioxidant compound, was incorporated into the oil phase of an emulsion using dequalinium as the emulsifier. Castor oil, chosen for its biodegradability and high stability in the body, was used as the oil phase in this study. The curcumin-loaded DQE was prepared using ultrasonic sonication followed by homogenization. The morphology and size distribution of the emulsion particles, as assessed using nanoparticle analysis, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy, ranged from 100-200 nm. Confocal microscopy confirmed the efficient mitochondrial targeting ability of DQE in HeLa cells. These findings establish the DQE system as a promising drug delivery platform with efficient mitochondrial targeting capabilities and the potential to encapsulate water-insoluble drugs.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.1653-1668
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• 2005

Assembly of hybrid mesophases through the combination of amphiphilic block copolymers, acting as structuredirecting agents, and silicon sources using low acid catalyst concentration regimes is a versatile strategy to produce large quantities of high-quality ordered large-pore mesoporous silicas in a very reproducible manner. Controlling structural and textural properties is proven to be straightforward at low HCl concentrations with the adjustment of synthesis gel composition and the option of adding co-structure-directing molecules. In this account, we illustrate how various types of large-pore mesoporous silica can easily be prepared in high phase purity with tailored pore dimensions and tailored level of framework interconnectivity. Silica mesophases with two-dimensional hexagonal (p6mm) and three-dimensional cubi (Fm$\overline{3}$m, Im$\overline{3}$m and Ia$\overline{3}$d) symmetries are generated in aqueous solution by employing HCl concentrations in the range of 0.1−0.5 M and polyalkylene oxide-based triblock copolymers such as Pluronic P123 $(EO_{20}-PO_{70}-EO_{20})$ and Pluronic F127 $(EO_{106}-PO_{70}-EO_{106})$. Characterizations by powder X-ray diffraction, nitrogen physisorption, and transmission electron microscopy show that the mesoporous materials all possess high specific surface areas, high pore volumes and readily tunable pore diameters in narrow distribution of sizes ranging from 4 to 12 nm. Furthermore, we discuss our recent advances achieved in order to extend widely the phase domains in which single mesostructures are formed. Emphasis is put on the first synthetic product phase diagrams obtained in $SiO_2$-triblock copolymer-BuOH-$H_2O$ systems, with tuning amounts of butanol and silica source correspondingly. It is expected that the extended phase domains will allow designed synthesis of mesoporous silicas with targeted characteristics, offering vast prospects for future applications.