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ABSTRACT Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is widely used as a carrier to improve the pharmaceutical properties of drugs with low molecular weight. However, PEG has few functional groups (usually two) for drug conjugation and the resulting low drug content (1-2%) has hampered its clinical applications. For this study, we synthesized biodegradable poly(ethylene glycol- co-anhydride). This polyester-based polymer possesses multiple carboxylic acid groups that can be used as facile drug carriers. Two anticancer drugs, camptothecin (CPT) and doxorubicin (DOX) were loaded into the carrier and their releasing properties and in vitro anticancer activities were studied. The polymer-drug conjugates exhibited esterase-promoted degradation and drug release. Their cytotoxicity against the human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV-3 was comparable to unconjugated drugs. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016, 54, 507-515 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structural preciseness of dendrimers makes them perfect drug delivery carriers, particularly in the form of dendrimer-drug conjugates. Current dendrimer-drug conjugates are synthesized by anchoring drug and functional moieties onto the dendrimer peripheral surface. However, functional groups exhibiting the same reactivity make it impossible to precisely control the number and the position of the functional groups and drug molecules anchored to the dendrimer surface. This structural heterogeneity causes variable pharmacokinetics, preventing such conjugates to be translational. Furthermore, the highly hydrophobic drug molecules anchored on the dendrimer periphery can interact with blood components and alter the pharmacokinetic behavior. To address these problems, we herein report molecularly precise dendrimer-drug conjugates with drug moieties buried inside the dendrimers. Surprisingly, the drug release rates of these conjugates were tailorable by the dendrimer generation, surface chemistry, and acidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]