Coumarin-poly(2-oxazoline)s as synergetic and protein-undetected nanovectors for photodynamic therapy.

[Display omitted] • Coumarin-based poly(2-oxazoline)s copolymers self-assembled into nanovectors. • Coumarin function adds a synergistic phototoxic property to the self-assemblies. • Absence of a corona protein ensures the stealthy nature of these nanocarriers. Because of the difficult challenges of nanopharmaceutics, the development of a variety of nanovectors is still highly desired. Photodynamic therapy, which uses a photosensitizer to locally produce reactive oxygen species to kill the undesired cells, is a typical example for which encapsulation has been shown to be beneficial. The present work describes the use of coumarin-functionalized polymeric nanovectors based on the self-assembly of amphiphilic poly(2-oxazoline)s. Encapsulation of pheophorbide a, a known PDT photosensitizer, is shown to lead to an increased efficiency compared to the un-encapsulated version. Interestingly, the presence of coumarin both enhances the desired photocytotoxicity and enables the crosslinking of the vectors. Various nanovectors are examined, differing by their size, shape and hydrophilicity. Their behaviour in PDT protocols on HCT-116 cells monolayers is described, the influence of their crosslinking commented. Furthermore, the formation of a protein corona is assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]