Tuneable Time Delay in the Burst Release from Oxidation‐Sensitive Polymersomes Made by PISA
Fabian H. Sobotta, Maren T. Kuchenbrod, Franka V. Gruschwitz, Grit Festag, Peter Bellstedt, Stephanie Hoeppener, Johannes C. Brendel
Abstract
Abstract Reactive polymersomes represent a versatile artificial cargo carrier system that can facilitate an immediate release in response to a specific stimulus. The herein presented oxidation‐sensitive polymersomes feature a time‐delayed release mechanism in an oxidative environment, which can be precisely adjusted by either tuning the membrane thickness or partial pre‐oxidation. These polymeric vesicles are conveniently prepared by PISA allowing the straightforward and effective in situ encapsulation of cargo molecules, as shown for dyes and enzymes. Kinetic studies revealed a critical degree of oxidation causing the destabilization of the membrane, while no release of the cargo is observed beforehand. The encapsulation of glucose oxidase directly transforms these polymersomes into glucose‐sensitive vesicles, as small molecules including sugars can passively penetrate their membrane. Considering the ease of preparation, these polymersomes represent a versatile platform for the confinement and burst release of cargo molecules after a precisely adjustable time span in the presence of specific triggers, such as H 2 O 2 or glucose.