Hyaluronic Acid‐Coated Complexes of Cationic Polymeric Micelles and Serratiopeptidase—Preparation, Characterization, and Enzyme Activity

ABSTRACT This study is focused on developing novel nanocomplexes based on cationic polymeric micelles and the proteolytic enzyme serratiopeptidase (SER), coated with hyaluronic acid (HA). Core‐shell polymeric micelles from a poly(2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)‐b‐poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐b‐poly(2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA 17 ‐b‐PCL 70 ‐b‐PDMAEMA 17 ) triblock copolymer are used as a platform for elaborating functional nanocarriers of SER. The enzyme is loaded within the micelles by electrostatic interactions with positively charged chains of the PDMAEMA shell. Additional stability of the system is provided by coating the complexes with HA, while preserving the proteolytic activity of SER. The processes of micelle formation and electrostatic complexation with SER and HA are studied by dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering, FTIR spectroscopy, UV–Vis spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The entrapment of SER in polymeric micelles coated with hyaluronic acid maintains the activity of the enzyme for 30 days.