The present invention relates to polycarbonates bearing aromatic N-heterocycles for drug delivery, and more specifically to water dispersible nanoparticles formed with aromatic N-heterocycle-functionalized polycarbonates and catechol-functionalized polycarbonates for delivering drugs used in medical treatments.
Drug delivery systems that rely on polymers as vehicles for carrying a drug have several deficiencies, particularly those involving hydrophobic drugs (e.g., Doxorubicin, an anthracycline antibiotic used in chemotherapy, known for its hydrophobicity, toxicity, and difficulty in packaging in a water based delivery system). Generally, the polymers are non-biodegradable. Another deficiency is the susceptibility of nanoparticles to serum protein induced aggregation, which causes undesirable particle size growth in the blood stream. Another deficiency is the propensity of drug carriers to leak drug in the blood stream, which can lower the efficacy of the drug with respect to its intended target and expose patients to toxic side effects of the released drug that the drug-loaded particle was intended to mitigate. Another deficiency is the cytotoxicity of the polymer vehicle itself.
As a result, a need exists for a biodegradable, non-cytotoxic drug delivery system that is not susceptible to protein induced aggregation (i.e., is “anti-fouling” in the blood stream), and does not prematurely release drug before reaching an intended cell target.