Biodegradable functional poly(ester amide)s with pendant hydroxyl functional groups: synthesis, characterization,...

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Biomaterials Science

Background:

• Biodegradable polymers are crucial for biomedical applications.
• Developing functionalized polymers with tunable properties is an ongoing challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize a novel family of biodegradable α-amino acid poly(ester amide)s (AA-PEAs).
• To introduce pendant hydroxyl functional groups for further modification.
• To investigate the impact of polymer surface properties on cell interactions.

Main Methods:

• Ring-opening polymerization of O-benzyl-L-serine-N-carboxyanhydride.
• Polycondensation with di-p-nitrophenyl sebacate.
• Catalytic hydrogenation to deprotect hydroxyl groups.
• Fabrication of gels via acrylation and photo-gelation.
• Cell attachment and proliferation assays with BAECs and fibroblasts.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of hydroxyl-functionalized AA-PEAs (PEA-Ser-OH).
• Demonstrated fabrication of AA-PEA-based gels.
• Hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity significantly affected cell attachment and proliferation.
• PEA-Ser-OH showed promising cell-polymer interactions.

Conclusions:

• A new class of functionalized biodegradable AA-PEAs was developed.
• Surface properties can be tuned to modulate cell interactions.
• These polymers hold potential for advanced biomedical applications.