Nanoparticles (NPs) are being used extensively for tumor drug delivery. These devices offer the advantage of their size, protection of the encapsulated species, and biodegradability to prevent accumulation in the interstitium. Our laboratory has synthesized polylactide fumarate (PLAF, PLGF) macromers capable of self-assembling into biodegradable and biocompatible NPs with average particle size of 280 nm. To assess the possibility of further decreasing the particle size and distribution of PLGF NPs, the polymers were conjugated with the peptide sequence Cys-Val-Val-Val-Val-Val-Val-Lys-Lys (CV6K2), which is known to self-assemble in aqueous solution into vesicles of about 50-60 nm in size. The results indicate that the PLGF-CV6K2 conjugates are capable of self-assembling into NPs of 100 nm in diameter. The NPs are proposed as having a bilayer structure, with peptide chains facing the aqueous environment and the polymer chains compacted in an internal hydrophobic layer. Degradation kinetics and release profiles show that the NPs could effectively retain and release Paclitaxel up to 30 days until completely degraded. The NPs act as reservoirs for sustained release of the active agent by diffusion and degradation of the matrix when taken up by tumor cells.

The effects of the components of extracellular matrix on the bone formation and the kinetics of crystal growth of calcium phosphate have remained unknown. In this paper, we reported a method to investigate the role of Type I collagen and the interactions with other ECM proteins such as fibronectin and elastin during biomimic mineralization process in vitro. The early stage of mineralization was characterized by scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and shear modulation force microscopy (SMFM). The late stage of mineralization was investigated by synchrotron grazing incident x-ray diffraction (GIXD). The results demonstrate the cooperative interaction between type I collagen and noncollagenous proteins such as fibronectin or elastin could be essential for the biomineralization.