Development of Environmentally-responsive Polymer Micelles Comprising of Molecular Assembly beta-Glucans with Physiological Activities and Their Medical Evolution

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Beta-glucans such as chitosan and curdlan have an effective physiological activity. However, a significant drawback of insolubility in neutral water exists for the practical use of their beta-glucans. In order to develop promising medical-nanomaterials working as drug carrier with their beta-glucans involved in overcoming the drawback, we have intended the graft (g) and block (b) type-copolymerization of their beta-glucans with hydrophilic and biocompatible polymers, polyethylene glycol and temperature-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide). As a result, some g- and b-type copolymers soluble in neutral aqueous solution were succeed to be synthesized, and then, the molecular assembly complexation of the copolymers with iodine gave rise to assume environmentally-responsive nano-particles with a size of ca. 50-100 nm, containing iodine in internal aggregated-core. Consequently, the nano-particles comprising of the beta-glucans and iodine was expected to be a promising drug-carrier.