A biodegradable diblcok copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)‐ block ‐poly( L ‐lactide‐ co ‐2‐methyl‐2‐carboxyl‐propylene carbonate): Docetaxel and RGD conjugation

A diblcok copolymer monomethoxy poly (ethyleneglycol)‐ block ‐poly( L ‐lactide‐ co ‐2‐methyl‐2‐carboxyl‐propylene carbonate) (MPEG‐ b ‐P(LA‐ co ‐MCC)) was obtained by copolymerization of L ‐lactide (LA) and 2‐methyl‐2‐benzoxycarbonyl‐propylene carbonate (MBC) and subsequent catalytic hydrogenation. The pendant carboxyl groups of the copolymer MPEG‐ b ‐P(LA‐ co ‐MCC) were conjugated with antitumor drug docetaxel and tripeptide arginine‐glycine‐aspartic acid (RGD), respectively. 1 H‐NMR spectra confirmed the structure of the copolymer MPEG‐ b ‐P(LA‐ co ‐MCC/docetaxel) and MPEG‐ b ‐P(LA‐ co ‐MCC/RGD). In vitro antitumor assay indicates that the MPEG‐ b ‐P(LA‐ co ‐MCC/docetaxel) conjugate shows high cytotoxic activity against HeLa cancer cells. Cell adhesion and spreading experiment shows that copolymer MPEG‐ b ‐P(LA‐ co ‐MCC/RGD) is of benefit to cell adherence and is a promising biodegradable material for cell and tissue engineering. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008