LAUSR

Intelligent nanocarriers for efficient drug delivery and bioimaging application are urgently demand. Herein, paclitaxel (PTX)-encapsulated redox-sensitive polymeric micelles based on tetraphenylethylene (TPE)-conjugated poly(D, L-lactide)-disulfide-poly(methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (TPE-PLA-SS-PMPC) copolymer has been developed for combined cancer therapy and aggregation induced emission (AIE) imaging. These biomimetic TPE-PLA-SS-PMPC micelles exhibit great biocompatibility and remarkable AIE features, showing great potential for bioimaging applications. PTX is loaded during the self-assembly process, and these drug-loaded micelles can disassemble quickly in the medium containing 10 mM glutathione to trigger rapid drug release and great growth inhibition of tumor cells. Moreover, these micelles can also be traced via fluorescent imaging of these AIE micelles. AIE active imaging and tumor cell growth inhibition, as well as excellent biocompatibility make these smart biomimetic micelles highly attractive as a prominent candidate for chemotherapy and bioimaging.