Synthesis and characterization of amphiphilic graft copolymers with poly(ethylene glycol) and cholesterol side chains

Amphiphilic graft copolymers comprising monomeric units of methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG)-acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA)–cholesterol conjugates and HEMA were synthesized and their properties characterized. The value of the critical micelle concentration (CMC) for these copolymers is linearly proportional to the ratio of the number of mPEG–acrylates to that of the HEMA–cholesterol conjugates per macromolecule (NPEG/Nc), which is the most important parameter which influences the formation of polymeric micelles. The latter show excellent colloidal stability and their sizes decrease with increasing CMC. Based on the quenching of pyrene fluorescence, the relatively high levels of the loading capacity of pyrene are attributed to the elevated hydrophobicity of the micelle core. The loading capacity of pyrene decreases with increasing CMC. The weight-average partition coefficient for pyrene in polymeric micelles increases with increasing polymer concentration because more micelles are available for accommodating pyrene. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry