Synthesis of new zinc(II) phthalocyanine conjugates with block copolymers for cancer therapy

Abstract

Synthetic routes towards new conjugates of hydrophilic zinc(II) phthalocyanine (ZnPc) with poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(propylene oxide)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (Pluronic P123) and poly(L-lactide) (PLLA), are described. The main semiproduct ZnPc was obtained by heating 4-nitrophthalimide with urea and zinc chloride, followed by the reduction step. Steglich esterification was used to synthesize two ZnPc-conjugated block copolymers, further utilized in fabrication of polymeric micelles (PMs) - functionalized with the zinc(II) phthalocyanine-type moiety. Biological evaluation of the PMs indicated an acceptable biocompatibility level in accord with requirements in the field of nanotheranostics and nanomedicine.