The synthesis of polymers capable of immobilizing anticancer drugs through various mechanisms opens the way to combined cancer chemotherapy. Several approaches to design of polymer carriers based on amphiphilic polymers have been developed for this purpose. The first approach involves radical co-telomerization of several pairs of monomers, one of which provides hydrophilic properties while the other serves as a drug immobilization center. In this case, the introduction of a hydrophobic block is achieved using long-chain active chain transmitters, thiols and acid chlorides, which determine the nature of the end group and simultaneously serve as molecular weight regulators. N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone copolymers have shown great potential for imparting hydrophilic properties without sacrificing biocompatibility. In this case, the introduction of functional groups involved in drug immobilization is achieved through copolymerization with acrylic acid, allyl glycidyl ether, or glycidyl methacrylate. The resulting amphiphilic copolymers exhibit pronounced surface activity and the ability to form nanocontainers when the hydrophilic block is not too long. On the other hand, the hydrophobic core of aggregates formed as a result of self-assembly of amphiphilic polymer chains is capable of immobilization through hydrophobic interactions of a number of water-insoluble anticancer drugs. Thus, the separation of drug binding sites is achieved, and the immobilization of functional groups contained in the hydrophilic block is possible. However, amphiphilic oligomers with a hydrophobic end group often do not show proper stability, form large aggregates, or are capable of dissolution if the hydrophilic fragment is too large. The solution to these problems can be found by changing the design and mechanism of formation of aggregates. Thus, copolymers of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone and oleic acid containing various functional groups have been synthesized. The latter are capable of forming stable nanoparticles of controlled sizes. Immobilization of several drugs is also possible, both as a result of hydrophobic interactions and due to electrostatic or covalent binding. The resulting nanosystems open up prospects for the implementation of new approaches to nanomedicine in the treatment of socially significant diseases.

Conflicts of Interest:
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest in the publication of this article. The authors have no conflicts of interest to report in this work. Abstract was not submitted elsewhere and published here firstly.

Funding:
The work was supported by the state task of Lomonosov Moscow State University 123032300028-0.

Keywords:
fluorescence polarization immunoassay, chloramphenicol, food safety