Synthesis of amphiphilic dendronized polymers to study their self-assembly and transport behavior

Herein, we report on the synthesis of PEG-1000-diethyl ester and 2-azido-propane-1,3-diol-based copolymers utilizing Novozym 435 (Candida antarctica lipase) using a biocatalytic method. The linear base copolymer was then functionalized with polyglycerol-based regular [G1.0] and [G2.0] dendrons and C12/C14 hydrophobic alkyl chains via an efficient “Click approach.” The resulting amphiphilic dendronized polymers form well-defined micelles in aqueous solutions. The transport behavior of these polymers was studied by using Nile red as a fluorescent model dye. The cytotoxicity profiles of a few representative polymers were evaluated, and the effect of hydrophobic alkyl chain length as well as the hydrophilic polyglycerol dendron's generation on the biocompatibility of polymeric systems was studied. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.