Multifunctional Temperature-Sensitive Lipid–Protein–Polymer Conjugates: Tailored Drug Delivery and Bioimaging

In this study, we introduce a protein–polymer bioconjugate comprising bovine serum albumin (BSA) and a lipid-based thermoresponsive block copolymer. These amphiphilic BSA-polymer conjugates can autonomously be organized into vesicular compartments for codelivery of glucose oxidase (GOx) and doxorubicin (DOX), demonstrating high drug loading content and remarkable antitumor activity via synergistic cancer therapy combining chemo-starvation strategies. Through the incorporation of a hydrophilic BSA block, the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the bioconjugates is tuned to around 40 °C, facilitating their targeted drug delivery to tumor cells. Consequently, these smart protein–polymer conjugates present greater promise compared to traditional drug delivery vehicles, particularly in the realm of anticancer therapy. Moreover, these bioconjugates displayed enhanced intracellular fluorescence intensity with increasing temperature, attributed to the clustering-triggered emission of the nonconventional chromophore moieties within poly(vinylcaprolactam) (PNVCL). The active aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristic and excellent biocompatibility suggest an opportunity to further apply these bioconjugates for biosensing and cellular imaging.