Abstract

Synthesis Of Novel Graft Copolymers Of Hyaluronan, Polyethyleneglycol And Polylactic Acid

Author(s): Giovanna Pitarresi, Fabio Salvatore Palumbo, Antonella Albanese,

New amphiphilic derivatives of hyaluronic acid(HA) have been synthesized by grafting of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic branches, such as polylactic(PLA) and polyethylene glycol(PEG) chains. Graft copolymers so obtained, named PEG-g-HA-g-PLA have been characterized by spectral analysis that allowed to determine the grafting degree in PLA and PEG chains. Self assembling properties evaluated in aqueous media resulted to be dependent on the molar amount of PLA and PEG linked to HA. Further studies are in progress to evaluate other physicochemical properties of these materials and their biomedical and pharmaceutical applications.