Assessing the Degradation Profile of Functional Aliphatic Polyesters with Precise Control of the Degradation Products

The pre-polymer poly(but-2-ene-1,4-diyl malonate) (PBM) and a series of PBM-based materials are shown to be degradable under physiological conditions in vitro and they are therefore presented as potential materials for biomedical applications. Four different PBM-based materials are synthesized: a PBM homopolymer, crosslinked PBM with and without spacer, and a triblock copolymer of PBM and PLLA with the PBM as an amorphous middle block. The polymers are subjected to hydrolytic degradation in phosphate-buffered saline at pH=7.4 and 37 degrees C. The results show that all the PBM-based materials degrade without a rapid release of acidic degradation products or any substantial lowering of the pH that might jeopardize their biocompatibility.