Structure and properties of pharmacologically active polymers

TLDR

Interest in pharmacologically active polymers has grown despite skepticism, because polymeric materials offer unique properties that can be tuned by comonomer incorporation and polymer‑analogous reactions, whereas low‑molecular‑weight drugs often lose activity with structural changes. The authors propose a model for pharmacologically active polymers that enables continuous variation of solubility, toxicity, fixation/removal of active material, and body distribution. The model guides the synthesis and biological evaluation of diverse macromolecular drugs, demonstrating how polymer design can be integrated with therapeutic objectives. Examples of synthesized macromolecular drugs illustrate the model’s utility and underscore the necessity of collaboration between polymer research and therapeutic problem‑solving.

Abstract

Abstract Although the concept of using pharmacologically active macromolecular compounds as drugs is still regarded with much skepticism for both theoretical and practical reasons, interest in this field has grown in recent years because of the opportunity to take advantage of the specific properties of polymeric materials. For low molecular weight drugs, changes in structure often lead to a loss of specific activity. On the other hand, the properties of macromolecular drugs depend on the structure of the polymer used and this can be varied over a wide range by the incorporation of comonomer units, by the application of polymer‐analogous reactions, or by related structural changes. A new model is presented for pharmacologically active polymers which incorporates the possibility for continuous variation in (a) solubility and toxicity, (b) fixation and removal of active material, and (c) body distribution. Using the new model as a guide, examples of the synthesis and study of the biological activity of various macromolecular drugs are presented in order to emphasize the importance of this cooperative effort between polymer research and therapeutic problems.