Currently available dopaminergic drugs such as levodopa and dopamine (DA) receptor agonists impart considerable improvement in Parkinson's disease (PD) motor symptoms but often lead to significant motor complications including "wearing-off" and dyskinesia. Such complications are believed to stem from the pulsatile nature of dopaminergic stimulation with these agents. Continuous dopaminergic drug delivery using polyoxazoline (POZ) polymer conjugation may improve motor symptoms, while avoiding development of side effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolyoxazoline polymers with methyl (PMOZ), ethyl (PEOZ), and propyl (PPOZ) side chains were prepared by the living cationic polymerization method and purified by ion-exchange chromatography. The following properties of polyoxazoline (POZ) were measured: apparent hydrodynamic radius by aqueous size-exclusion chromatography, relative lipophilicity by reverse-phase chromatography, and viscosity by cone-plate viscometry. The PEOZ polymers of different molecular weights were first functionalized and then conjugated to model biomolecules such as bovine serum albumin, catalase, ribonuclease, uricase, and insulin.
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