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Intelligent nanoparticles made of degradable polymers are considered to be promising medical carrier materials that offer the opportunity to release active ingredients in the body in a targeted manner. In this work we were able to develop a simple method how such a polymer (polycaprolactone) can be modified with purely physical interactions without high synthetic effort.

The interaction is based on complementary end groups on different polymer chains, which connect with each other according to a key-lock principle. The nanoparticles thus produced can be selectively modified with a polymer shell that prevents uncontrolled aggregation and also allows the desired degradation rate to be adjusted in the presence of suitable enzymes. Based on the process shown here, further functions can certainly be adapted or integrated in the future in order to easily build up specific carrier systems.

You'll find the full article titled "Degradable polycaprolactone nanoparticles stabilized via supramolecular host–guest interactions with pH-responsive polymer-pillar[5]arene conjugates" hereExternal link.