Preparation and characterization of mPEG-g-α-zein biohybrid micelles as a nano-carrier

A new kind of block copolymer micelles methoxy polyethylene glycol (mPEG) grafted α-zein protein (mPEG-g-α-zein) was synthesized. The chemical composition of mPEG-g-α-zein was identified with the help of FT-IR and 1H-NMR. The biohybrid polymer can self-assemble into spherical core–shell nanoparticles in aqueous solution. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to investigate the self-assembled morphology of mPEG-g-α-zein. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) results showed that the particle size of mPEG-g-α-zein was about 90 nm. Moreover, the nanoparticles had a very low critical micelle concentration value with only 0.02 mg/mL. Then, the anticancer drug curcumin (CUR) was encapsulated into the biohybrid polymer micelles. The in vitro drug release profile showed a zero-order release of CUR up to 12 h at 37°C. Cell viability studies revealed that the mPEG-g-α-zein polymer exhibited low cytotoxicity for HepG2 cells (human hepatoma cells). Consequently, the mPEG-g-α-zein micelles can be used as a potential nano-carrier to encapsulate hydrophobic drugs and nutrients. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42555.