eprintid: 3627 rev_number: 9 eprint_status: archive userid: 73 dir: disk0/00/00/36/27 datestamp: 2017-01-16 08:16:29 lastmod: 2017-01-16 08:16:29 status_changed: 2017-01-16 08:16:29 type: article metadata_visibility: show creators_name: Gagliardi, Mariacristina creators_name: Bertero, Alice creators_name: Bifone, Angelo creators_id: mariacristina.gagliardi@imtlucca.it creators_id: creators_id: title: Molecularly Imprinted Biodegradable Nanoparticles ispublished: pub subjects: QD subjects: RM divisions: CSA full_text_status: public keywords: Nanomedicine; Nanoparticles abstract: Biodegradable polymer nanoparticles are promising carriers for targeted drug delivery in nanomedicine applications. Molecu- lar imprinting is a potential strategy to target polymer nanoparticles through binding of endogenous ligands that may promote recognition and active transport into specific cells and tissues. However, the lock-and-key mechanism of molecular imprinting requires relatively rigid cross-linked structures, unlike those of many biodegradable polymers. To date, no fully biodegradable molecularly imprinted particles have been reported in the literature. This paper reports the synthesis of a novel molecularly- imprinted nanocarrier, based on poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and acrylic acid, that combines biodegradability and molec- ular recognition properties. A novel three-arm biodegradable cross-linker was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of glycolide and lactide initiated by glycerol. The resulting macromer was functionalized by introduction of end-functions through reaction with acryloyl chloride. Macromer and acrylic acid were used for the synthesis of narrowly-dispersed nanoparticles by radical polymerization in diluted conditions in the presence of biotin as template molecule. The binding capacity of the imprinted nanoparticles towards biotin and biotinylated bovine serum albumin was twentyfold that of non-imprinted nanoparti- cles. Degradation rates and functional performances were assessed in in vitro tests and cell cultures, demonstrating effective biotin-mediated cell internalization. date: 2017 date_type: published publication: Scientific Reports volume: 7 number: 40046 publisher: Nature Publishing Group id_number: 10.1038/srep40046 refereed: TRUE issn: 2045-2322 official_url: http://www.nature.com/articles/srep40046 citation: Gagliardi, Mariacristina and Bertero, Alice and Bifone, Angelo Molecularly Imprinted Biodegradable Nanoparticles. Scientific Reports, 7 (40046). ISSN 2045-2322 (2017) document_url: http://eprints.imtlucca.it/3627/1/srep40046.pdf