Preliminary studies on the hydrolytic degradation and biocompatibility of poly(3-allyloxy-1,2-propylene succinate)

In the present paper the synthesis and selected properties of functional aliphatic poly(3-allyloxy-1,2-propylene succinate) (PSAGE) are described. This polyester was synthesized by melt co-polymerization of succinic anhydride and allyl glycidyl ether in the presence of benzyltrimethylammonium chloride as catalyst. The chain structure of PSAGE and its end-groups was characterized by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. It was found that PSAGE undergoes hydrolytic degradation in phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.41) at 37 degrees C and, unexpectedly, the dependence of mass loss on immersion time turned out to be linear in the first 12 weeks, similar to hydrophobic polyanhydrides. The polysuccinate of 3600 Da was tested on rat alveolar macrophage cell line using the MTT assay to determine its cytotoxicity, as well as the NO production level, which is an indicator of cell activation. The data obtained show that PSAGE is non-toxic, and that the viability of cells ranges from 86 to 100%. The obtained results reveal the potential applicability of PSAGE as a component of biomaterials or as polymeric drug carrier.