One-pot synthesis of camptothecin-loaded glutathione-responsive PEGlyation nanogels as novel antitumor therapeutics

PEGlyation nanogels have shown potential in cancer therapy due to their outstanding biodegradability and biocompatibility. In this study, glutathione (GSH)-responsive PEGlyation nanogels were loaded with camptothecin (CPT) (CPT@A(2)B(5)-PEG) by one-pot synthesis based on the monomers of disulfide-based diacrylate (A(2)) and N-(2-aminoethyl) ethane-1,2-diamine (B-5). The nanogels with responsive cross-linked networks were degraded into small molecules according to their GSH-sensitivity. The nanogels were of the correct size as measured by TEM and DLS, and uptake into A549 cells was observed within 6 h. Cell viability assays showed that CPT@A(2)B(5)-PEG produced similar anticancer efficacy to free CPT. The GSH-responsive CPT-loaded PEGlyation nanogels produced by one-pot synthesis are therefore promising platforms for anticancer drug delivery.