Coumarin-containing-star-shaped 4-arm-polyethylene glycol: targeted fluorescent organic nanoparticles for dual treatment of photodynamic therapy and chemotherapy

Single component fluorescent organic polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) have been synthesized based on a star shaped 4-arm PEG containing coumarin chromophore for the concomitant employment of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and chemotherapy synergistically to wipe out tumour cells with a high efficiency. Polymeric NPs are emerging as the most promising nanoparticulates in the area of drug delivery systems due to their ability to overcome the disadvantages like premature and imprecise control over the drug release, lack of loading capacity etc. Among polymeric NPs, star shaped branched polymers have attracted great attention mainly due to their multiple functionalization properties. Hence, herein we have made use of a multi-arm PEG, functionalized with a targeting unit biotin and a coumarin fluorophore for site-specific and image guided synergic treatment of cancer cells. The anticancer drug chlorambucil is released by the coumarin chromophore in a photocontrolled manner. In addition to that, coumarin also generated singlet oxygen upon irradiation with UV/vis light (≥365 nm) with a moderate quantum yield of ∼0.37. In vitro application of thus prepared organic polymeric nanoparticles (PEG–Bio–Cou–Cbl) in the HeLa cell line shows a reduction of cell viability by up to ∼5% in the case of a combined treatment of PDT and chemotherapy whereas analogous organic polymeric NPs without the chemotherapeutic drug (PEG–Bio–Cou) result in ∼49% cell viability by means of PDT process only.