SYNTHESIS OF POLY[(ε-CL)-co-(GA-alt-L-Asp)] COPOLYMER AND EFFECTS ON CELLS AFTER COUPLING WITH SMALL PEPTIDE
A novel poly[([Formula: see text]-CL)-co-(GA-alt-L-Asp)] with improved hydrophilicity was prepared. The monomer 3(S)-[(benzyloxycarbony)methyl]-1,4-dioxane-2,5-dione (BMD) was prepared from aspartic acid. The polymer was obtained by ring-opening polymerization of [Formula: see text]-caprolactone ([Formula: see text]-CL) and BMD. Poly[([Formula: see text]-CL)-co-(GA-alt-L-Asp)] was synthesized by deprotection. The structure and properties of the polymer were characterized using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, gel permeation chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry. The melting point and melting enthalpy of the polymer decreased with the increase of BMD. The structural regularity of polycaprolactone was destroyed by the BMD. A laminin-derived peptide [i.e., Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)] was covalently tethered to the carboxyl groups and the peptide-grafted films. Results indicated that the addition of RGD had beneficial effects for cell growth, as shown by scanning electron microscopy.