Light-Responsive Serinol-Based Polycarbonate and Polyester as Degradable Scaffolds.

Stimuli-responsive self-immolative aliphatic polycarbonates (APCs) and polyesters (APEs) have attractive advantages for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. In the present work, polycondensation of -nitrobenzyl-protected serinol was explored as a simple route to obtain light-responsive polycarbonate (LrPC) and polyester (LrPE). By exposure to UV light, these polymers decomposed rapidly and completely into oligomers and small molecules, as detected by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), UV/vis, and H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies.

Use of Light-Degradable Aliphatic Polycarbonate Nanoparticles As Drug Carrier for Photosensitizer.

Aliphatic poly(carbonate)s (APCs) with rapid and controlled degradation upon specific stimulation have great advantages for a variety of biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. In the present work, we reported a new poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC)-based copolymer containing multiple 4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrobenzyl photo cleavable groups as pendent chains. The six-membered light-responsive cyclic carbonate monomer (LrM) was first prepared from 2-(hydroxymethyl)-2-methylpropane-1,3-diol and 4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrobenzyl alcohol and then copolymerized with trimethylene carbonate (TMC) by 1,8-diazabicyclo(5.