A novel thermo-sensitive block glycopolymer based on peracetylated maltoheptaose (AcMH) and poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEtOz) was synthesized for the first time and characterized by hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatograph (GPC) analyses. To obtain such a block polymer, the dihydroxyl poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) homopolymer (OH-PEtOz-OH) was first synthesized by cationic ring-opening polymerization of 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline (EtOz), and then coupled with the peracetylated maltoheptaose having a free hydroxyl group at the reducing end (AcMH-OH) prepared from β-cyclodextrin. It was found that the obtained block polymer could self-assemble into nanosize spherical micelles with a distinct core-shell structure in aqueous solution triggered by its amphiphilic character without any organic solvent. The model drug indomethacin (IND) was efficiently loaded into the resultant polymeric micelles, which was confirmed by 1H NMR spectra, transmission electron microscope (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) techniques. The release behavior of IND loaded micelles was well in response to the environmental temperature change. It is suggested that the resulting micelles might be a potential targeted carrier for drug delivery.
