We have developed a platform of pH responsive, multifunctional nanoparticles based on encapsulation of an antioxidant, tannic acid (TA), using Flash NanoPrecipitation, a polymer directed self-assembly method. Formation of insoluble coordination complexes of tannic acid and iron during the mixing and assembly process facilitated nanoparticle assembly. The tannic acid-iron Tris complex forms sufficiently rapidly to be encapsulated within the core of the nanoparticle. Therefore, the size of the nanoparticles can be readily tuned between 50 and 265 nm. The encapsulated Tris-iron complex is pH responsive, i.e. stable at pH 7.4 and soluble under acidic conditions. Further, the coordination complex can be coprecipitated with other hydrophobic therapeutic or imaging compounds. For example, we have coprecipitated the TA/iron complex with a hydrophobic fluorescent dye. <i>In vitro</i> the nanoparticles have low cytotoxicity, are internalized in the lysosome of 3T3 fibroblasts, and show antioxidant activity. Based on the pH responsive nature of the TA/iron complex, this may be valuable tool for intracellular delivery of antioxidants to prevent cellular injury and death due to excess reactive oxygen species implicated in cardiac diseases.

Polymer directed self assembly of pH-responsive antioxidant nanoparticles

249th National Meeting (2015)

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