Polyphosphazenes with pendant ionic groups, both polyelectrolytes and ionomers, present an interesting class of macromolecules due to their unique structural diversity, backbone flexibility, and high charge density. A number of water-soluble polyphosphazenes of this family are known to spontaneously interact with proteins and other important biological targets in aqueous solutions or undergo environmentally triggered self-assembly into well-defined nanoparticles. These biologically relevant features along with the ability of polyphosphazenes to degrade hydrolytically, define biomedical applications of these macromolecules as drug and vaccine delivery vehicles, protein stabilizing agents, and immunomodulators. The molecular design of ionic polyphosphazene is a critical determinant of its ultimate biological function. Depending on macromolecular structure, polyphosphazene polyelectrolytes can enable immunostimulating activity, provide ‘stealth’ characteristics for drug delivery by suppressing protein antigenicity, or offer multi-functionality required for intracellular delivery of protein drug. The presentation will review recent developments in the field of self-assembling polyphosphazenes with a focus on their potential for biomedical applications.<br/>

Self-assembling polyphosphazene systems and their biomedical applications

254th National Meeting (2017)

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