Tunable morphologies of polymer capsules templated from cuprous oxide particles for control over cell association

Publication date: Available online 18 April 2019Source: Chinese Chemical LettersAuthor(s): Hongyan Pei, Yanyan Bai, Jianman Guo, Zhiliang Gao, Qiong Dai, Qun Yu, Jiwei CuiAbstractOver the past two decades, layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of micro/nanocapsules has been of interest for the investigation of bio-nano interactions to explore bio-applications, such as drug delivery. The choice of an appropriate template that can be easily dissolved under mild conditions is one of the challenges for the assembly of LbL capsules. Herein, we report the engineering of LbL capsules with tunable morphologies using cuprous oxide (Cu2O) particles as templates. Cu2O particles with cubic, tetradecahedral or spherical morphologies were synthesized via hydrothermal processes, which can be dissolved under mild condition (e.g., sodium thiosulfate solution). The influence of capsule morphologies on cell association was investigated, which indicates that LbL capsules with cubic geometry promoted cell association up to 4 and 9-fold than tetradecahedral and spherical capsules, respectively. The reported method provides a new avenue for the assembly of LbL capsules with different morphologies, which has the potential for better understanding of biological interactions of LbL capsules.Graphical AbstractPolymer capsules with different shapes were engineered via layer-by-layer assembly method using cuprous oxide particles as templates, which can be removed in mild condition. The obtained capsules showed t...
Source: Chinese Chemical Letters - Category: Chemistry Source Type: research