2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate polysaccharides

Interestingly, CDI can also be utilised for the introduction of substituents by inter- or intramolecular coupling of OH moieties of the polysaccharide via a carbonate function. This synthesis was used to obtain dextran with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate moieties (dex-HEMA) and dex-HEMA with lactate spacer functions (Fig. 32). A new class of dextran derivatives (DS < 0.2) that can be polymerised containing hydrolysable groups is accessible [177]. 

The industrial exploitation of products from renewable sources and the design of new bioactive and biocompatible polymers capable of exerting a temporary therapeutic function are two diverse research areas currently considered to be strategic by the international scientific community. In the field of biocompatible polymers, poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) and polysaccharides are among the most popular and widely investigated. 

The polymeric materials used in nanomedicine must be nontoxic, biocompatible and eliminated easily from the body, for instance by biodegradation or bioerosion, hi general, they are made from synthetic or natural polymers, such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(c-caprolactone) (PCL), poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA), polysaccharides, proteins, etc. 

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