pH and redox dual-responsive biodegradable polymeric micelles with high drug loading for effective anticancer drug delivery

Diblock copolymers of polyethylene glycol and biodegradable polycarbonate functionalized with carboxylic acid groups and disulfide bonds were synthesized and employed to load doxorubicin into micelles. The pH-responsive carboxylic acid groups and GSH-sensitive disulfide bonds were introduced to facilitate drug release in endolysosomes and cytoplasm respectively, thereby enhancing drug release. Effective doxorubicin delivery was demonstrated in vivo.244