K. Lee, C. Chu, F. Quimby
Apr 1, 1998
Citations
0
Influential Citations
13
Citations
Quality indicators
Journal
Macromolecular Symposia
Abstract
The objective of this research is to synthesize synthetic biodegradable polymers that would have biological functions similar to nitric oxide. Polyglycolide (PGA) was the synthetic biodegradable polymer and 4-amino-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxy (Tempamine) was chosen as the source of nitroxyl radicals. Tempamine nitroxyl radicals were chemically incorporated into the carboxylic acid chain ends of PGA macromolecules via amide linkage. The kinetics of in vitro hydrolytic release of Tempamine nitroxyl radicals from the host PGA in buffered media at 37°C was studied. Tempamine nitroxyl radicals were released into the media via cleavage of either ester linkages in the PGA segments or/and the amide linkage between Tempamine and the PGA segments. The duration of hydrolysis would determine the type of degradation products that were different in the segmental length of the PGA component. A preliminary in vitro cell culture study of this new generation of biologically active biodegradable polymers indicated that it was able to retard the proliferation of smooth muscle cells as pure nitric oxide does.