Preparation of pH-sensitive star-shaped aliphatic polyesters as precursors of polymersomes

in Journal of Polymer Science. Part A-1, Polymer Chemistry (2011), 49(1552), 1563

The synthesis of a new pH-sensitive amphiphilic A2B mikto-arm star-shaped aliphatic copolyester (with A = PCL and B = tertiary amine-bearing PCL) with two hydrophobic arms and one hydrophilic arm when ... [more ▼]

The synthesis of a new pH-sensitive amphiphilic A2B mikto-arm star-shaped aliphatic copolyester (with A = PCL and B = tertiary amine-bearing PCL) with two hydrophobic arms and one hydrophilic arm when protonated at pH = 5.5. The copper mediated azide-alkyne cycloaddition was used for the synthesis of the star copolyester and to impart the pH sensitivity to the hydrophilic arm by grafting of tertiary amine groups onto azide bearing PCL chain. The formation of polymersomes in water at pH 5 was assessed by DLS and TEM analyses. [less ▲]

In vivo biocompatibility of three potential intraperitoneal implants

in Macromolecular Bioscience (2011), 11(10), 1335-45

The intraperitoneal biocompatibility of PDMS, polyHEMA and pEVA was investigated in rats, rabbits and rhesus monkeys. No inflammation was evidenced by hematological analyses and measurement of ... [more ▼]

The intraperitoneal biocompatibility of PDMS, polyHEMA and pEVA was investigated in rats, rabbits and rhesus monkeys. No inflammation was evidenced by hematological analyses and measurement of inflammatory markers throughout the experiment and by post-mortem examination of the pelvic cavity. After 3 or 6 months, histological analysis revealed fibrous tissue encapsulating PDMS and PEVA implants in all species and polyHEMA implants in rabbits and monkeys. Calcium deposits were observed inside polyHEMA implants. The intraperitoneal biocompatibility of all 3 polymers makes them suitable for the design of drug delivery systems, which may be of great interest for pathologies confined to the pelvic cavity. [less ▲]

Synthesis and characterization of reversibly cross-linked shape memory materials

Poster (2010, November 29)

Contribution of "click chemistry" to the macromolecular engineering of aliphatic polyesters

Poster (2010, July 13)

In this work, click chemistry was sucessfully applied to the chemical modification of aliphatic polyesters with the purpose to tailor their physical properties. The developped strategy was then applied to ... [more ▼]

In this work, click chemistry was sucessfully applied to the chemical modification of aliphatic polyesters with the purpose to tailor their physical properties. The developped strategy was then applied to the synthesis of materials, such as smart partially degradable hydrogels or antibacterial polyesters. Last, the synthesis of amphiphilic star-shaped copolyester was investigated. [less ▲]

Controlled Synthesis of AB2 amphiphilic triarm star-shaped block copolymers by ring-opening polymerization

in European Polymer Journal (2009), 45(12), 3442-3450

This paper describes the synthesis of a novel amphiphilic AB2 triarm star-shaped copolymer with A = non-toxic and biocompatible hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and B = biodegradable and hydrophobic ... [more ▼]

This paper describes the synthesis of a novel amphiphilic AB2 triarm star-shaped copolymer with A = non-toxic and biocompatible hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and B = biodegradable and hydrophobic poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL). A series of AB2 triarm star-shaped copolymers with different molecular weights for the PCL block were successfully synthesized by a three-step procedure. α-methoxy-ω-epoxy-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-epoxide) was first synthesized by the nucleophilic substitution of α-methoxy-ω-hydroxy-poly(ethylene oxide) (MPEO) on epichlorohydrin. In a second step, the α-methoxy-ω,ω’-dihydroxy-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO(OH)2) macroinitiator was prepared by the selective hydrolysis of the ω-epoxy end-group of the PEO-epoxide chain. Finally, PEO(OH)2 was used as a macroinitiator for the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-caprolactone (εCL) catalyzed by tin octoaote (Sn(Oct)2). PEO-epoxide, PEO(OH)2 and the AB2 triarm star-shaped copolymers were assessed by 1H NMR spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and MALDI-TOF. The behavior of the AB2 triarm star-shaped copolymer in aqueous solution was studied by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). [less ▲]

Functional aliphatic polyesters by click chemistry in supercritical carbon dioxide

Conference (2009, November 16)

Synthesis of functionalized polyesters by the "click" copper-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition

in Khosravi, Ezat; Yagci, Yusuf; Savelyev, Yuri (Eds.) New smart materials via metal mediated macromolecular engineering (2009)

The functionalization of aliphatic polyesters by the copper-mediated azide–alkyne Huisgen’s cycloaddition is very efficient under mild conditions, which prevents degradation from occurring. The ... [more ▼]

The functionalization of aliphatic polyesters by the copper-mediated azide–alkyne Huisgen’s cycloaddition is very efficient under mild conditions, which prevents degradation from occurring. The implementation of this reaction requires the synthesis of aliphatic polyesters bearing pendant alkynes and azides, which can be carried out either by polycondensation or by ring-opening polymerization. [less ▲]

New developments in the functionalization of aliphatic polyesters by "click" copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition

Conference (2009, June 03)

Nowadays, biodegradable and biocompatible aliphatic polyesters are widely used as environmentally friendly thermoplastics and biomaterials. Nevertheless, the absence of any pendant functional group is a ... [more ▼]

Nowadays, biodegradable and biocompatible aliphatic polyesters are widely used as environmentally friendly thermoplastics and biomaterials. Nevertheless, the absence of any pendant functional group is a severe limitation for the development of novel applications. Our strategy aiming at functionalizing aliphatic polyesters relies on the “click” copper-catalyzed cycloaddition (CuAAC) of alkynes duly substituted by functional groups or even chains onto PCL bearing pendant azides. The aliphatic polyesters bearing pendant azides have been very efficiently synthesized by a straightforward approach, which relies on the ring-opening copolymerization of αClεCL (or γBrεCL) and εCL (or lactide) followed by reaction with sodium azide to convert pendant chlorides or bromides into azides. The alternative reported by Emrick et al. is based on the CuAAC reaction of azides substituted by any functional group onto copolyesters of poly(ε-caprolactone) bearing pendant alkynes. Interestingly enough, Emrick et al. carried out the CuAAc reaction in water at 80°C. Unfortunately, it turned out, at least in our hands, that these conditions can not be extended to the derivatization of more sensitive aliphatic polyesters because degradation was then unavoidable. Nevertheless, we found out that degradation can be minimized whenever the CuAAC reaction is carried out in an organic solvent at lower temperature. Typically, the CuAAC reaction was carried out in DMF or THF at 35°C. Recently, it was shown that supercritical carbon dioxide can be used as a more environmentally friendly solvent than DMF or THF. The contamination by catalytic residues of aliphatic polyesters functionalized by the CuAAC reaction is a severe limitation in view of future applications, especially in the biomedical field. In the last part of this talk, a special attention will be paid on our current efforts to get rid of copper residues. [less ▲]

Development of an intraperitoneal implant for abdomino-pelvic chronic diseases

Poster (2009, June)

Functionalization of aliphatic polyesters by “click chemistry” in supercritical carbon dioxide

Poster (2009, May 14)

The combination of ring-opening polymerization of lactones and “click” copper-catalyzed Huisgen’s [3+2] cycloaddition is known to be a very efficient strategy for the functionalization of poly(ε ... [more ▼]

The combination of ring-opening polymerization of lactones and “click” copper-catalyzed Huisgen’s [3+2] cycloaddition is known to be a very efficient strategy for the functionalization of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA). Whenever the “click” reaction occurs in an organic solvent (THF or DMF), at relatively low temperature (35°C) and within short reaction time (2 hours), no significant degradation of polyester chains is detected. This strategy was implemented in previous works to graft alkynes substituted by different functional groups, such as hydroxyl, tertiary amines, acrylates or ammonium salts onto azide-functionalized PCL. Moreover, this approach was previously extended to the synthesis of grafted copolymers, either by the grafting of omega-alkyne-PEO onto azide-functionalized aliphatic PLA or PCL (“grafting onto” technique) either by grafting of an ATRP initiator followed by the polymerization of vinyl monomers, such as styrene (“grafting from” technique). These functionalized aliphatic polyesters are promising materials for the development of new biomedical devices. In this work, novel conditions were implemented for the “click” reaction in order to avoid the use of organic solvents and to limit the amount of catalyst remnants in functionalized aliphatic polyesters. Toward this end, if was found that the functionalization by “click” chemistry can be efficiently carried out in supercritical carbon dioxide rather than in THF or DMF. For that sake, it turned out necessary to synthesize a perfluorinated polyamine in order to solubilize the catalyst in supercritical carbon dioxide. Aliphatic polyesters are not soluble in supercritical carbon dioxide. Nevertheless, even under heterogeneous conditions, the functionalization of aliphatic polyesters by “click” chemistry is quantitative. Interestingly enough, no degradation was observed. Last but not least, the copper catalyst was easily removed by supercritical fluid extraction leading to a very low content of residual copper in the final copolyester. [less ▲]