An amphiphilic non-viral gene vector prepared by a combination of enzymatic atom transfer radical polymerization and enzymatic ring-opening polymerization

Abstract

Biocatalysts, such as enzymes, create a smart platform for polymerization and materials used in biomedical science. Deuterohemin-b-Ala-His-Thr-Val-Glu-Lys (DhHP-6), a peroxidase mimic, acts as a bioinspired catalyst in an ATRP process under moderate temperature for the polymerization of the oil soluble monomer, glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), which has potential to be a successful non-viral gene vector. A successful gene vector should combine high transfection efficiency with low toxicity. Herein, we report a ‘green method’ used to obtain a series of block polymer (PCL-b-PGMA), synthesized using ε-caprolactone (CL) and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) from a double head initiator HEBiB, which was catalyzed by two enzymes over two steps in order to minimize the residual metal catalyst present in the final products obtained from the ATRP process. The hydrophilic amine moiety (ethanolamine, EA) was employed to decorate the pendant epoxide groups of PCL-b-PGMA to obtain a series of promising gene vectors with different molecular weights.