Biodegradable polymers: Chymotrypsin degradation of a low molecular weight poly(ester‐urea) containing phenylalanine

Abstract

Abstract A low molecular weight poly(ester urea), poly(L‐phenylalanine/ethylene glycol/1,6‐diisocyanatohexane), and a model diester diurea, dimethyldiphenylalaninehexamethylenediruea, were synthesized and found to be hydrolyzed by α‐chymotrypsin solutions at pH 7.8. After ten‐day exposure to 0.1 mg/ml enzyme solution at room temperature, 79.9% weight loss was observed for the model diester diurea (containing two ester linkages per molecule). A weight loss of 19.4% was observed for the poly(ester urea) of M̄ n 1930 (containing an average of eight ester linkages per molecule) after the same period of exposure. A poly(ester urea) of similar molecular weight, but derived from glycine instead of phenylalanine, was found to resist chymotrypsin hydrolysis.