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Brush copolymers composed of methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG) and poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) have been synthesized by the ring-opening polymerization of e-caprolactone initiated by hydroxyl function of thermally esterified MPEG-citrate in presence of stannous octoate. Citric acid (CA) acts as spacer between brush-like MPEG and the long chain of PCL. Existence of hydrophobic domains as cores of the micelles were characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy and further confirmed with fluorescence technique using pyrene as a probe. Critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the synthesized copolymer decreased from 0.019 to 0.0031 mg/mL on increasing the fraction of PCL. Along with the physicochemical study, the brush copolymers were explored for the preparation of nanoparticles by nanoprecipitation technique. The morphology and geometry of micelles were investigated by using DLS, AFM, and TEM. Hydrodyanamic dimensions of micelles were around 118 and 178 nm with the core size of 8–10 nm, which further aggregated to form secondary micelle of 60–90 nm. Such assembled polymeric micelles with its flexible dendritic MPEG corona could hold a promise for the immobilization (encapsulation) of hydrophobic drugs and subsequently promote sustained release so that it can be a good vehicle for anti-cancer drug deliverance. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009

The main objective of the present work was to fabricate poly(ϵ-caprolactone) grafted dextran (PGD) electrospun matrix (matrix) and to investigate the scaffold potential in tissue engineering application. In this work, at first we synthesized PGD polymer via ring opening polymerization (ROP), and with predetermined electrospinning conditions, nanofibrous matrix with high molecular weight PGD (PGD-50, Mw = 45,500) has been successfully fabricated for the first time. Mouse osteoblast like cells, MC3T3 was used to test biocompatibility, assays of cell adhesion, survival, and effects on cell morphology of the matrix. The data demonstrate that PGD-50 matrix represent a suitable substrate for supporting cell proliferation, process outgrowth and migration and as such would be a good material for artificial extra cellular matrix. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008