Reverse self-assemblies based on amphiphilic polyphosphazenes for encapsulation of water-soluble molecules

A novel series of amphiphilic polyphosphazenes (PNIPAm/AA-PPP) containing hydrophilic oligo-( N -isopropylacrylamide) (oligo-NIPAm) and various hydrophobic aliphatic amines as co-substitutes was synthesized via a two-step substitution reaction. The extraction and solubilization of water-soluble substances such as fluorescein sodium and trypan blue from an aqueous phase into the chloroform phase were supposed to result from the formation of polyphosphazene reverse self-assemblies in the organic phase. A field emission scanning electronic microscope was adopted to characterize the morphology of reverse assemblies in chloroform. Additionally, a significant improvement of encapsulation and release profiles of water-soluble substances was found for poly(lactic- co -glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles in the presence of amphiphilic copolymers, which was associated with the chemical structure of copolymers as well as the content of copolymer in the microparticles.