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Fluorine-containing pH-responsive core/shell microgel particles: preparation, characterization, and their applications in controlled drug release

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Abstract

A kind of novel fluorine-containing pH-responsive core/shell microgels poly(DMAEMA-co-HFMA)-g-PEG were prepared via surfactant-free emulsion polymerization using water as the solvent. The well-defined chemical structure of the copolymers was characterized by FTIR, 1H-NMR, 19F-NMR, and elemental analysis. The microgel particles were studied by florescence probe technique, dynamic light scattering, and zeta potential measurement; the microgels displayed a significant pH-responsive behavior. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity assay indicated that the copolymer microgels had low toxicity, and 5-FU-loaded microgels offered a certain killing potency against cancer cells. In addition, the drug loading and in vitro drug release demonstrated that 5-FU was successfully incorporated into polymeric microgels, and the drug-loaded microgels showed a marked pH-dependent drug release behavior. This study suggests that the poly(DMAEMA-co-HFMA)-g-PEG microgels play an important role in the release mechanism stimulated by the change in the pH and have potential applications as a controlled drug release carrier.

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Acknowledgments

The work was supported by the Key Projects in the National Science and Technology Pillar Program during the Eleventh Five-year Plan Period (no. 2008BAC32B03) and the National Natural Science foundation of China (no. 50973027).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, People’s Republic of China

    Guoqiang Liu, Xiaolong Li, Shengdong Xiong, Ling Li, Shuilin Wu & Zushun Xu

  2. Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China

    Paul K. Chu, Shuilin Wu & Zushun Xu

  3. Division of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China

    Kelvin W. K. Yeung, Shuilin Wu & Zushun Xu

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  1. Guoqiang Liu
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  2. Xiaolong Li
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  3. Shengdong Xiong
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  4. Ling Li
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  7. Shuilin Wu
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Correspondence to Zushun Xu.

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Liu, G., Li, X., Xiong, S. et al. Fluorine-containing pH-responsive core/shell microgel particles: preparation, characterization, and their applications in controlled drug release. Colloid Polym Sci 290, 349–357 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-011-2558-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-011-2558-x

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