Análise comparativa de estratégias para funcionalização de nanopartículas poliméricas com biomoléculas

Abstract

Polymer nanoparticles have been widely used to formulate controlled release systems for targeting of active compounds. However, one of the main challenges is finding an efficient method to functionalize the particle surface, in order to encapsulate an active and apply the system to reach a target. In the present work, different strategies for chemical and physical functionalization of polymer nanoparticles based on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with one amino acid and four proteins were compared, in order to identify effects on the efficiency and stability of adsorption of these biomolecules. In order to promote the chemical bonding between the polymer surface and the biomolecule, the activating agents 1-ethyl-3-(3- dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC) and hexamethylenediamine (HMDA) were used. PMMA was used as a model polymer because of its wide use in biotechnological applications, while the model biomolecules were selected because of their widespread use in the pharmaceutical industry, different properties, and technological interest. It is shown that the physical adsorption route presents many competitive advantages and generally results in higher adsorption efficiencies and more stable products. However, it was also observed that the obtained results depend on the characteristic size of the biomolecules used, so that the chemical immobilization process can be more efficient for the functionalization of particles with small biomolecules.