LAUSR

We present an investigation of horseradish peroxidase (HRP)/H2O2-mediated crosslinking in an inverse miniemulsion for the successful preparation of a stable colloidal nanogel from a poly(amino acid)-based polymer precursor. The precursor was obtained by the aminolysis of polysuccinimide with aminoethan-2-ol and tyramine, resulting in a poly(α,β-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-D,L-aspartamide-co-N-(2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl)-D,L-aspartamide) polymer (PHEA-Tyr). Various concentrations of the PHEA-Tyr in aqueous solution with HRP were emulsified in the presence of cyclohexane and SPAN 80. The addition of a hydrogen peroxide solution induced crosslinking between the polymer chains via the phenol groups (Tyr) and targeted nanogel formation. The hydrodynamic radii (Rh0), mean size documented by hydrodynamic radius (Rh), and morphology of the nanoparticles were investigated by dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements, nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). It was found out that nanoparticle radius, morphology, and architecture of the nanogel could be regulated by the initial concentration of the precursor.