文摘
A calcium carbonate (CaCO3)-mineralized core-shell-corona micelle was evaluated as an intracellular nanocarrier of docetaxel (DTX). The polymer micelle consisting of the poly(ethylene glycol) coronal, the anionic poly(L-aspartic acid) middle shell, and the DTX-loaded hydrophobic poly(L-phenylalanine) core was used as a nanotemplate for CaCO3 mineralization was performed by initial electrostatic localization of calcium ions at the anionic PAsp middle shells, and the subsequent addition of carbonate anions to trigger the growth of CaCO3 around the PAsp middle shells. Even after mineralization, the micelle size and the spherical morphology were maintained. The CaCO3-mineralized micelles exhibited enhanced stability against micelle-disrupting surfactants and the serums. The mineralized CaCO3 layer could suppress DTX release efficiently at extracellular pH (7.4) but dissolve at an intracellular endosomal pH (pH ~ 5.0) to facilitate the DTX release. These results reveal the promising potential of CaCO3-mineralized polymer micelle as a stable and effective nanocarrier system in tumor therapy.