Triglycerol-based hyperbranched polyesters with an amphiphilic branched shell as novel biodegradable drug delivery systems

The synthesis of biodegradable triglycerol-based hyperbranched polyesters (HBPEs), characterized by different hydrophobicity, has been optimized and described. A new amphiphilic branched shell (ABS) was developed; PEGylated amphiphilic chains were attached to the external corona of the HBPEs, with the aim of enhancing the encapsulation efficiency of hydrophobic drugs while additionally encouraging the solubilization of the HBPEs in aqueous media. Pyrene was tested as a template to evaluate potential drug transport capacity and to obtain information about the microenvironment and binding sites of the drug carriers. Experimental tests have shown the excellent capabilities of the aforementioned systems as drug delivery systems (DDS); it was possible to load up to 4.1 wt% of pyrene, evenly released from the system, within 9 days in the presence of Candida Antarctica lipase B (CALB). Subsequently the anticancer drug doxorubicin and the anti-inflammatory steroidal drug dexamethasone were efficiently encapsulated in the ABS-nanocarriers.