Zwitterionic-Modified Starch-Based Stealth Micelles for Prolonging Circulation Time and Reducing Macrophage Response

Over the last few decades, nanoparticles have been emerging as useful means to improve the therapeutic efficacy of drug delivery and medical diagnoses. However, the heterogeneity and complexity of blood as a medium is a fundamental problem; large amounts of protein can be adsorbed onto the surface of nanoparticles and cause their rapid clearance before reaching their target sites, resulting in the failure of drug delivery. To overcome this challenge, we present a rationally designed starch derivative (SB-ST-OC) with both a superhydrophilic moiety of zwitterionic sulfobetaine (SB) and a hydrophobic segment of octane (OC) as functional groups, which can self-assemble into “stealth” micelles (SSO micelles). The superhydrophilic SB kept the micelles stable against aggregation in complex media and imbued them with “stealth” properties, eventually extending their circulation time in blood. In stability and hemolysis tests the SSO micelles showed excellent protein resistance properties and hemocompatibility. Mor...