HYDROLYTICALLY DEGRADABLE POLY (ETHYLENE GLYCOL) DERIVATIVES THROUGH INTRODUCTION OF UNSATURATED METHYLENE ETHYLENE OXIDE REPEAT UNITS

摘要

Reactive and hydrolytically-degradable poly(alkylene oxide) derivatives and methods for their synthesis are described herein. These polymers differ from poly(alkylene oxide) by the controlled incorporation of degradable repeat units together with alkylene oxide units. The degradable polymers contain vinyl ether degradable units (e.g., methylene ethylene oxide) incorporated into a polyalkylene backbone (e.g., ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, butylene oxide, other alkylene oxides, glycidol, methyl glycidyl ether, ethyl glycidyl ether, allyl glycidyl ether, or other repeat units derived among the glycidyl ethers). The alkylene oxides and glycidyl ethers may be racemic mixtures, enantiomerically enriched, or enantiomerically pure. The degradable polymers disclosed herein can be used in applications where hydrolytic degradability under physiological, or physiological-like conditions is desirable, such as pharmaceutical and cosmetic formulations and degradable devices.