Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly (PISA) - Control over the Morphology of ¹⁹F‑Containing Polymeric Nano-objects for Cell Uptake and Tracking

Fluorine-containing polymeric materials are receiving increasing attention as imaging probes in fluorine-19 magnetic resonance imaging (¹⁹F MRI), for example to enable quantitative <i>in vivo</i> detection of cells. Here we describe the one-pot polymerization synthesis of ¹⁹F-containing functional poly­(oligo­(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate-<i>co</i>-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl acrylate-<i>b</i>-poly­(styrene-<i>co</i>-3-vinylbenzaldehyde) (poly­(OEGA-<i>co</i>-TFEA)-<i>b</i>-poly­(St-<i>co</i>-VBA)) copolymers as a new class of fluorinated MRI agent. A range of nanoparticle morphologies, including spheres, worm-like particles, and vesicles were formed as a consequence of polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA). It was found that the extent of cell uptake strongly depends on the morphology of the nano-objects, with preferable uptake for worm-like particles compared to spherical nanoparticles and vesicles. All the nano-objects have a single resonance in the ¹⁹F NMR spectrum with relatively short MRI relaxation times, which were independent of the morphology of the nano-objects. These results confirm that these polymeric nano-objects of varied morphologies are promising as ¹⁹F MRI imaging agents for use in tracking of cells and selective MRI