A novel dextran-oleate-cRGDfK conjugate for self-assembly of nanodrug

We report a novel synthetic biocompatible material: a conjugate with a fatty acid-substituted dextran decorated with cRGDfK peptide, which was used as a stable coating material instead of the conventional poly(ethylene glycol) for nanodrug preparation. This novel dextran-oleate-cRGDfK conjugate (DO-cRGDfk) could self-assemble into a micellar structure in aqueous solution, and was used as a surfactant to formulate nanodrug with poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic) acid as matrix to encapsulate paclitaxel with high drug-loading efficiency. The conjugate allowed the fabrication of nanodrug with a targeting moiety on its surface in a simple and robust step. The resultant nanoparticles could induce cellular apoptosis more effectively than that of the commercial paclitaxel formulation, Taxol. Thus, DO-cRGDfk could be used as an alternative to poly(ethylene glycol) as a biocompatible surface coating polymeric material for nanoparticle preparation.From the Clinical EditorThe authors describe a novel synthetic biocompatible conjugate, which consists of a fatty acid-substituted dextran decorated with cRGDfK peptide. This conjugate was used as a stable coating material for nanodrug preparation, and can be used in place of conventional PEG.

Graphical AbstractA novel biocompatible and biodegradable material - a conjugate with a fatty acid substituted dextran decorated with cRGDfK peptide which can be used as a surfactant to prepare integrin targeting nanodrug in a single step with PLGA as the matrix and without the need for further particle surface modification for targeting. This new conjugate could be regarded as an alternative to PEG as a surface coating material for the preparation of nanoparticle.Figure optionsDownload high-quality image (219 K)Download as PowerPoint slide