Direct Synthesis of Aliphatic Polyesters with Pendant Hydroxyl Groups from Bio-Renewable Monomers: A Reactive Precursor for Functionalized Biomaterials

Introducing desired functionalities into biomaterialsis an effectiveway to obtain functionalized biomaterials. A versatile platform withthe possibility of postsynthesis functionalization is highly desiredbut challenging in biomedical engineering. In this work, linear aliphaticpolyesters with pendant hydroxyl (PEOH) groups were directly synthesizedusing renewable malic acid/tartaric acid as raw materials under mildconditions through the polyesterification reaction promoted by 1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidine(TMG). The hydroxyl groups on PEOH provide an active stepping stonefor the fabricationof demanded functionalized polyesters. We demonstrated the possibilityof the PEOH as a reactive precursor for functional group transformation,coupling of bioactive molecules, and formation of crosslinking networks.Moreover, a theranostic nanoplatform (mPEG-b-(P7-asp&TPV)-b-mPEGNPs) was synthesized using PEOH as a reactive stepping stone by theprogrammable combination of the above functionalization methods. Overall,these hydroxyl-containing polyesters have great potential in biologicalapplications.