Tunable PLGA-Based Nanoparticles Synthesized Through Free-Radical Polymerization.

A new class of PLGA-based materials suitable for the production of biodegradable NPs via free-radical polymerization is proposed. ROP of lactide and glycolide using HEMA is carried out; macromonomers (HEMA-L xG yA) with short PLGA chain ends are successfully produced. Afterwards, monomer-starved semi-batch emulsion polymerization of these HEMA-L xG yA macromonomers is performed to obtain NPs with a low polydispersity index and a controlled size. The stability and degradability of NPs is confirmed from degradation studies that verify the possibility of tuning the degradation time by changing macromonomer characteristics such as chain length and composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]