Synthesis of an esterase-sensitive degradable polyester as facile drug carrier for cancer therapy.

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]