Preparation of Degradable and Transformable Core-Corona-Type Particles that Control Cellular Uptake by Thermal Shape Change

Particle-cell interactions, such as cellular uptake, vary depending on the particle size, shape, and surface properties. By dynamic control of the physical properties of particles, microparticle-cell interactions can intentionally be altered. Particle degradability is also necessary for their application in the body. In this study, we aimed to prepare degradable core-corona-type particles that are deformed near the body temperature and investigated particle shape-dependent cellular uptake. Degradable and transformable particles consisting of poly(2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane)-co-poly(ethylene glycol) with three-armed poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (PCL) were prepared. The particle melting point was controlled by the chain length of the three-armed PCL. Particle degradation occurred under both acidic and alkaline conditions via ester group hydrolysis in the polymer backbones. The rod-shaped microparticles prepared by uniaxial stretching at a temperature above the melting point of the core showed less uptake into macrophages than did the spherical microparticles. Therefore, the degradable transformable particles enable macrophage interaction control via stimuli-regulated particle shapes and are expected to be applied as drug delivery carriers that can be decomposed and excreted from the body.