Preparation of polymeric nanoparticles composed of cholic acid and poly(ethylene glycol) end-capped with a sugar moiety

An amphiphilic polymeric conjugate was synthesized from cholic acid and a diamine-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) containing a galactose moiety (abbreviated as LEC). The LEC conjugate was characterized by FT-IR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Investigations using fluorescent probes suggest that the LEC conjugate may associate in water to form core-shell type nanoparticles. The critical association concentration (CAC) value of these conjugates was estimated to be 0.05 g/L. The LEC nanoparticles were spherical with diameters of around 10 to 30 nm.