Polyphenol conjugated poly(beta-amino ester) polymers with hydrogen peroxide triggered degradation and active antioxidant release

Oxidative stress has been implicated as a primary or secondary player to numerous diseases. A potential approach to control oxidative stress induced diseases is to deliver small antioxidant compounds to compromised sites at equivalent rates of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. This becomes a complicated task as antioxidant molecules typically have poor bioavailability and stability. Antioxidants synthesized into poly(beta-amino ester) (PBAE) crosslinked polymers have shown improved delivery by enhancing stability while allowing controlled release through hydrolysis. The tunable crosslinked networks show significant response to specific oxidizing environments, where free radicals can be present. Curcumin conjugated PBAE bulk films have proportional rates of accelerated degradation, thus faster release of curcumin, in a range of low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)_, where 2′2-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride has no substantial impact. This effect suggests the possibility to create a system that releases its therapeutic agent in direct relationship to the need through ROS signaling.