Polyethylene Carboxylates Synthesized via Statistical Optimization: A Biocompatible Polymer Scaffold for Bioactive Conjugation

The study aimed to synthesize and evaluate polyethylene carboxylates (PECs) as a biocompatible polymer for drug delivery. The synthesis of PECs has been achieved by making slight modifications through statistical optimization in reaction conditions using the Jones reagent. The transformation has been confirmed by FTIR, NMR, and mass spectroscopy. The synthesized polymer was evaluated for its acute toxicity and ulcerogenic and hemolytic activity. The results revealed that PECs have successfully synthesized and have not shown any toxicity-related mortality. Moreover, PECs did not show any ulcerogenic and hemolytic activity, which was expected due to the presence of two carboxylic groups in the synthesized derivatives. The ease of performing the reaction and mild reagents make it the most suitable condition for synthesizing PECs. Biocompatibility (safety issues) regarding the employability of synthesized PECs has been tested, and the results have supported the same. The availability of the carboxylic group will open possibilities for the conjugation of bioactive compounds. This research work widens the scope for conjugation of most of the bioactive compounds and also proves to be an option for the linkers as they, by themselves, can be directly involved in the formation of polymer-drug conjugates.