Lipase-catalyzed transformation of poly(lactic acid) into cyclic oligomers

Enzymatic transformations into cyclic oligomers were carried out with the objective of developing chemical recycling of poly(lactic acid)s, such as poly(D,L-lactic acid) (PDLLA), poly(D-lactic acid) (PDLA) and poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA), which are typical biodegradable polymers. They were degraded by lipase in an organic solvent to produce the corresponding cyclic oligomer with a molecular weight of several hundreds. PDLLA (with a Mw of 84,000) was quantitatively transformed into cyclic oligomers by lipase RM (Lipozyme RM IM) in chloroform/hexane at 60 degrees C. PLLA (with a Mw of 120,000) was transformed into cyclic oligomer by lipase CA (Novozym 435) at a higher temperature of 100 degrees C in o-xylene. The oligomer structure was identified by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and MALDI-TOF (matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight) mass spectrometry.     

超支化聚(β-环糊精)的合成与表征

通过硅氢加成反应, 以ABx型功能化β-环糊精大单体为原料, 采用一步法合成出新型超支化聚(β-环糊精)高分子. ABx大单体由单取代对甲苯磺酰化β-CD依次与烯丙基胺、1,1,3,3-四甲基二硅氧烷(含氢双封头)及丙烯酰氯反应得到. 采用1H NMR, 13C NMR, 29Si NMR和飞行时间质谱对ABx大单体及其聚合物的结构进行了表征. 利用凝胶渗透色谱/多角度激光光散射(SEC/MALLS)联用仪得到了超支化聚(β-环糊精)的分子量、分子量分布及本体黏度.     

Structural characterization of native high-methoxylated pectin using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Comparative use of 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid and nor-harmane as UV-MALDI matrices

The successful analysis by ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UV-MALDI-TOF MS) of native and hydrolyzed high-methoxylated pectin samples is described. In order to find the optimal conditions for UV-MALDI-TOF MS analysis several experimental variables were studied such as: different UV-MALDI matrices (nor-harmane, 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid), sample preparation methods (mixture, sandwich), inorganic salt addition (doping salts, NaCl, KCl, NH(4)Cl), ion mode (positive, negative), linear and reflectron mode, etc. nor-Harmane has never been used as a UV-MALDI matrix for the analysis of pectins but its use avoids pre-treatment of the sample, such as an enzymatic digestion or an acid hydrolysis, and there is no need to add salts, making the analysis easier and faster. This study suggested an alternative way of analyzing native high-methoxylated pectins, with UV-MALDI-TOF MS, by using nor-harmane as the matrix in negative ion mode. The analysis by (1)H and (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of the native and hydrolyzed pectin is also briefly described.     

Effects of transesterification and degradation on properties and structure of polycaprolactone-polylactide copolymers

Ester bonds of biodegradable polymers, such as poly (α-hydroxy esters), synthesized by the coordinated anionic ring opening polymerization (CAROP), are subject to transesterification during synthesis. In this work, a series of poly(?-caprolactone)-poly(l-lactide) (PCL-PLA) block and random copolymers with targeted molar mass of 10,000 Da was synthesized to study the mechanism of transesterification reactions via NMR and MALDI-TOF.Polylactide segments are more vulnerable to transesterification compared to polycaprolactone. As a result, the actual quantity of l-lactide in the polymers was less than the target for all studied copolymers because of the decarboxylation and consequent CO elimination from fragments of macromolecules after transesterification. The presence of decarboxylation during transesterification was confirmed analytically and was reflected in the MALDI-TOF and ¹³C NMR spectra. An analysis of the polymer structure pointed to dehydration reactions that led to the formation of cyclic structures and double bonds with possible crosslinking.     

Comprehensive characterization of surface-functionalized poly(amidoamine) dendrimers with acetamide,hydroxyl, and carboxyl groups

Terminal amine groups of poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers can be substituted with different functional groups for various applications. In this study, PAMAM derivatives with acetamide, hydroxyl, and carboxyl termini were synthesized from ethylenediamine (EDA) core generation 4 and 5 primary amine-terminated PAMAM dendrimers. The reaction products were purified with dialysis and subsequently characterized by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), capillary electrophoresis (CE), size exclusion chromatography (SEC), matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, potentiometric titration, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR. PAGE and CE electropherograms provide data regarding the purity, charge distribution, and electrophoretic mobility of the dendrimers and their derivatives. SEC and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry detect the average absolute molar mass and the individual mass fractions, respectively. The combination of SEC with potentiometric titration provides quantitative evidence of the degree of the functional group substitution, while NMR techniques (both ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR) confirmed the changes in dendrimer surface functionalization. This study provides a general example for the comprehensive characterization of surface-functionalized PAMAM dendrimer nanoparticles. The synthesized dendrimer derivatives hold promise for environmental and medical applications.     

Solid-state NMR studies of pharmaceutical solids in polymer matrices

Biodegradable drug-delivery systems can be formulated to release drug for hours to years and have been used for the controlled release of medications in animals and humans. An important consideration in developing a drug-delivery matrix is knowledge of the long-term stability of the form of the drug and matrix after formulation and any changes that might occur to the drug throughout the delivery process. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy is an effective technique for studying the state of both the drug and the matrix. Two systems that have been studied using solid-state NMR spectroscopy are presented. The first system studied involved bupivacaine, a local anesthetic compound, which was incorporated into microspheres composed of tristearin and encapsulated using a solid protein matrix. Solid-state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy was used to investigate the solid forms of bupivacaine in their bulk form or as incorporated into the tristearin/protein matrix. Bupivacaine free base and bupivacaine-HCl have very different solid-state NMR spectra, indicating that the molecules of these compounds pack in different crystal forms. In the tristearin matrix, the drug form could be determined at levels as low as 1:100 (w/w), and the form of bupivacaine was identified upon loading into the tristearin/protein matrix. In the second case, the possibility of using solid-state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy to characterize biomolecules lyophilized within polymer matrices is evaluated by studying uniformly ¹³C-labeled asparagine (Asn) in 1:250 (w/w) formulations with poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). This work shows the capability of solid-state NMR spectroscopy to study interactions between the amino acid and the polymer matrix for synthetic peptides and peptidomimetics containing selective ¹³C labeling at the Asn residue.     

Preparation and characterization of biodegradable poly(l-lactide)/chitosan blends

In order to improve the properties of chitosan and obtain new fully biodegradable materials, blends of poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) and chitosan with different compositions were prepared by precipitating out PLLA/chitosan from acetic acid-DMSO mixtures with acetone. The blends were characterized by Fourier transform infrared analysis (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), ¹³C solid-state NMR and Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). FTIR and XPS results showed that intermolecular hydrogen bonds existed between two components in the blends, and the hydrogen bonds were mainly between carbonyls of PLLA and amino groups of chitosan. The melting temperatures, cold crystallization temperatures and crystallinity of the PLLA component decreased with the increase in chitosan content. Blending chitosan with PLLA suppressed the crystallization of the PLLA component. Although the crystal structure of PLLA component was not changed, the crystallization of the blends was affected because of the existence of hydrogen bonds between two components, which was proved by WAXD results.     

1,2-聚丁二烯~(13)C-NMR弛豫的溶剂效应

本文测定了一系列具有不同微观结构的1,2-聚丁二烯样品在四种溶剂的50.3MHz ~(13)C自旋-晶格弛豫时间(T_1)和核Overhauser效应(NOE)值。并用Schaefer logx~2相关时间分布模型对实验数据进行了拟合。研究了1,2-聚丁二烯在溶液中的~(13)C-NMR弛豫的溶剂效应及其与结构的关系。发现聚合物与溶剂的溶解度参数之差△δ越大,聚合物在溶液中协同链段运动趋向越明显,~(13)C自旋-晶格弛豫速率(1/T_1)越大;1,2-链节较少,分子链较柔顺时,~(13)C-NMR弛豫受溶剂影响较显著。NMR弛豫参数对结构变化的反应在良溶剂中比在不良溶剂中敏感。     

Synthesis of star‐shaped poly(D,L‐lactic acid‐alt‐glycolic acid)‐b‐poly(L‐lactic acid) with the poly(D,L‐lactic acid‐alt‐glycolic acid) macroinitiator and stannous octoate catalyst

Two types of three‐arm and four‐arm, star‐shaped poly(D,L ‐lactic acid‐alt‐glycolic acid)‐b‐poly(L ‐lactic acid) (D,L ‐PLGA50‐b‐PLLA) were successfully synthesized via the sequential ring‐opening polymerization of D,L ‐3‐methylglycolide (MG) and L ‐lactide (L ‐LA) with a multifunctional initiator, such as trimethylolpropane and pentaerythritol, and stannous octoate (SnOct₂) as a catalyst. Star‐shaped, hydroxy‐terminated poly(D,L ‐lactic acid‐alt‐glycolic acid) (D,L ‐PLGA50) obtained from the polymerization of MG was used as a macroinitiator to initiate the block polymerization of L ‐LA with the SnOct₂ catalyst in bulk at 130 °C. For the polymerization of L ‐LA with the three‐arm, star‐shaped D,L ‐PLGA50 macroinitiator (number‐average molecular weight = 6800) and the SnOct₂ catalyst, the molecular weight of the resulting D,L ‐PLGA50‐b‐PLLA polymer linearly increased from 12,600 to 27,400 with the increasing molar ratio (1:1 to 3:1) of L ‐LA to MG, and the molecular weight distribution was rather narrow (weight‐average molecular weight/number‐average molecular weight = 1.09–1.15). The ¹H NMR spectrum of the D,L ‐PLGA50‐b‐PLLA block copolymer showed that the molecular weight and unit composition of the block copolymer were controlled by the molar ratio of L ‐LA to the macroinitiator. The ¹³C NMR spectrum of the block copolymer clearly showed its diblock structures, that is, D,L ‐PLGA50 as the first block and poly(L ‐lactic acid) as the second block. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 409–415, 2002     

PLLA Based Composites with α-Tricalcium Phosphate and a PLLA-PEO Diblock Copolymer

Hybrid composites consisting of poly(L -lactide), PLLA, or blends of PLLA with a PLLA-poly(ethylene oxide) diblock copolymer (15–30 wt%), COP, as a biodegradable polymeric matrix and of bioactive α-tricalcium phosphate, α-TCP, microparticles as dispersed phase (25–40 wt-%) were prepared by melt extrusion and their thermal, mechanical and degradation behaviour was investigated. SEM analysis of surfaces broken in liquid N₂ showed a good dispersion of α-TCP in the polymer matrix. A lowering of the glass transition temperature of the polymer matrix and enhanced crystallization rates of PLLA, both from the melt and from the glassy state, were observed in the presence of COP. Ternary PLLA/COP/α-TCP composites containing about 10 wt-% of COP and 25–40 wt-% of α-TCP showed improved compressive strength and deformation at yield as compared to pure PLLA. Degradation experiments revealed that in simulated body fluid the presence of α-TCP particles promoted the formation of inorganic deposits of a poor crystalline apatitic phase on composite surfaces as compact sferoids.     

Rapid controlled hydrolytic degradation of poly(l-lactic acid) by blending with poly(aspartic acid-co-l-lactide)

Although poly(lactic acid) is known as a biodegradable polymer, its hydrolytic degradation is extremely slow, taking years in water and in the human body. In this study the effects of blending oligomeric poly(aspartic acid-co-lactide) (PALs) on the hydrolytic degradation of poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) were studied in detail. It was found that the addition of PAL did not accelerate the hydrolysis of the PLLA in air (25 °C, 60% relative humidity), but significantly accelerated it in a phosphate buffer solution. The degradation rate becomes higher for the blends containing PAL with higher molar ratios of lactide to aspartic acid units, [LA]/[Asp], when PLLA/PAL blends prepared with different PALs are compared at the same PAL concentration. TEM results, in which the distribution of PALs with higher [LA]/[Asp] occurs at a smaller scale in blends, imply that higher miscibility of the PAL with PLLA results in higher contact area between the components, thereby accelerating the degradation efficiently.     

Synthesis of high-molecular-weight poly(l-lactic acid) through the direct condensation polymerization of l-lactic acid in bulk state

A strategy was attempted to produce high-molecular-weight poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) through the direct condensation polymerization of l-lactic acid in bulk state. Polymerizations were carried out with titanium(IV) butoxide (TNBT) as a catalyst employing different duration of decompression, esterification and polycondensation. The molecular weights were characterized by using the gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The stereosequences were analyzed from the ¹³C NMR spectra on the basis of the triad fractions.     

Competition between Liquid-liquid De-mixing,Crystallization, and Glass Transition in Solutions of PLA of Different Stereochemistry and DEET

Liquid-liquid(L-L)de-mixing and vitrification of solutions of either crystallizable poly(L-lactic acid)(PLLA)or non-crystallizable poly(D/L-lactic acid)(PDLLA)with 50 m%N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide(DEET)were analyzed by calorimetry and cloud-point measurements,which allows drawing conclusions about the effect of polymer stereochemistry on the phase behavior.Regardless of the PLA stereochemistry,vitrification of the solutions on fast cooling,hindering crystallization of PLLA,occurred below-20℃ and suppressed prior L-L de-mixing.The experimental results prove that crystallization in samples containing crystallizable PLLA,observed at around 55℃ on slow cooling,is not preceded by L-L de-mixing.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(L‐lactic acid)–poly(ε‐caprolactone) multiblock copolymers by melt polycondensation

An Erratum has been published for this article in J. Polym. Sci. Part A: Polym. Chem. (2004) 42(22) 5845 New multiblock copolymers derived from poly(L‐lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) were prepared with the coupling reaction between PLLA and PCL oligomers with ? NCO terminals. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), ¹³C NMR, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to characterize the copolymers and the results showed that PLLA and PCL were coupled by the reaction between ? NCO groups at the end of the PCL and ? OH (or ? COOH) groups at the end of the PLLA. DSC data indicated that the different compositions of PLLA and PCL had an influence on the thermal and crystallization properties including the glass‐transition temperature (T_g), melting temperature (T_M), crystallizing temperature (T_c), melting enthalpy (ΔH_m), crystallizing enthalpy (ΔH_c), and crystallinity. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) was employed to study the effect of the composition of PLLA and PCL and reaction time on the molecular weight and the molecular weight distribution of the copolymers. The weight‐average molecular weight of PLLA–PCL multiblock copolymers was up to 180,000 at a composition of 60% PLLA and 40% PCL, whereas that of the homopolymer of PLLA was only 14,000. A polarized optical microscope was used to observe the crystalline morphology of copolymers; the results showed that all polymers exhibited a spherulitic morphology. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5045–5053, 2004     

Block and star block copolymers by mechanism transformation X. Synthesis of poly(ethylene oxide) methyl ether/polystyrene/poly(l-lactide) ABC miktoarm star copolymers by combination of RAFT and ROP

Poly(ethylene oxide) methyl ether/polystyrene/poly(l-lactide) (MPEO/PSt/PLLA) ABC miktoarm star copolymers were synthesized by combination of reversible addition-fragmentation transfer (RAFT) polymerization and ring-opening polymerization (ROP) using bifunctional macro-transfer agent, MPEO with two terminal dithiobenzoate and hydroxyl groups. It was prepared by reaction of MPEO with maleic anhydride (MAh), subsequently reacted with dithiobenzoic acid and ethylene oxide. RAFT polymerization of St at 110 °C yielded block copolymer, MPEO-b-PSt [(MPEO)(PSt)CH₂OH], and then it was used to initiate the polymerization of l-lactide in the presence of Sn(OCt)₂ at 115 °C to produce ABC miktoarm star polymers, s-[(MPEO)(PSt)(PLLA)]. The structures of products obtained at each synthetic step were confirmed by NMR and gel permeation chromatography data.     

Synthesis and properties of high‐molecular‐weight stereo di‐block polylactides with nonequivalent D/L ratios

Di‐stereoblock polylactides (di‐sb‐PLA: PLLA‐b‐PDLA) having high molecular weight (M_n > 100 kDa) were successfully synthesized by two‐step ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of L ‐ and D ‐lactides using tin(2‐ethylhexanoate) as a catalyst. By optimizing the polymerization conditions, the block sequences were well regulated at non‐equivalent feed ratios of PLLA and PDLA. This synthetic method consisted of three stages: (1) polymerization of either L ‐ or D ‐lactide to obtain a PLLA or PDLA prepolymer with a molecular weight less than 50 kDa, (2) purification of the obtained prepolymer to remove residual lactide, and (3) polymerization of the enantiomeric lactide in the presence of the purified prepolymer. Their ¹³C and ³¹P NMR spectra of the resultant di‐sb‐PLAs strongly supported their di‐stereo block structure. These di‐sb‐PLAs, having weight‐average molecular weights higher than 150 kDa, were fabricated into polymer films by solution casting and showed exclusive stereocomplexation. The thermomechanical analysis of the films revealed that their heat deformation temperature was limited probably because of their low crystallinity owing to the non‐equivalent PLLA/PDLA ratio. The blend systems of the di‐sb‐PLAs having complementary stereo‐sequences (the one with a long PLLA block and the other with long PDLA block) were also prepared and characterized to enhance the sc crystallinity. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 794–801, 2010     

Study of matrix and polymer substrate in MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry of DNA

Protein matrices such as 3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (sinapinic acid, SA) and a-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA) tend to yield homogeneous dried spots. However, well known MALDI matrices for single- and double-stranded DNA such as 3-hydroxy picolinic acid (HPA) and picolinic acid (PA) forms the crystals at the rim of their spots with uneven distribution of matrix and DNA. This inhomogeneous deposition of DNA-doped matrix crystals at the MALDI spot requires a search for sweet spots. It is important to obtain homogeneous MALDI spots that yield signals not only from the periphery but the entire spot for automated, high throughput MALDI-TOF analysis of short DNA fragments. We have investigated the characteristics of MALDI matrices for DNA and presented a method for improving the homogeneity of MALDI samples by using polymer substrates such as linear polyacrylamide (LPA), poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), methyl cellulose (MC) and Nafion.     

Characterization of Acacia mangium polyflavonoid tannins by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and CP-MAS C NMR

The MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS) and solid state CP-MAS ¹³C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopic technique were introduced to characterize Acacia mangium tannin (condensed tannins). The MALDI-TOF MS illustrated a series of peaks corresponding to oligomers of condensed tannins of up to 11 flavonoid units (3200 Da). A. mangium condensed tannins were found to consist predominantly of prorobinetinidin combined with profisetinidin and prodelphinidin. Both the MALDI-TOF mass spectra and the solid state CP-MAS ¹³C NMR indicated that the A. mangium tannins obtained from Kudat, had an almost completely linear structure; In addition, Lembah Beringin, consist of “angular” polymer structure; and Tawau, has included “twice-angular” polymer structures present in oligomers type of up to 7 flavonoid units. The high degree of polymerization of linear, angular type, twice-angular structures and longer oligomer (3200 Da) chains have not been observed in previous studies of condensed tannins. The spectra also indicated that A. mangium tannins are more heavily branched and have higher degree of polymerization (>7.0) compared to commercial mimosa (A. mearnsii) tannin (4.9). Because tannins are phenolic, it was expected that they can be used to replace phenol-formaldehyde (PF) adhesives.     

香豆素类新基质在基质辅助激光解吸／电离飞行时间质谱测定多糖和糖蛋白中的应用

将几种香豆素类新基质(香豆素、3-羟基香豆素(3-HC)、3-氨基香豆素(3-AC)、3-羧基香豆素(3-CC)和4-甲基-7-羟基香豆素(4-M-7-HC))分别应用于基质辅助激光解吸/电离飞行时间质谱(MALDI TOF-MS)测定葡聚糖和3种糖蛋白的研究.香豆素和3-羟基香豆素分别与2,5-二羟基苯甲酸(DHB)混合组成2种二元基质,极大地改善了基质和葡聚糖样品的共结晶状况,样品分布更加均匀.葡聚糖样品更易解吸/电离,每个激光点照射样品均能产生较强的质谱信号,且谱图重现性更好,得到了理想的MALDI TOF-MS谱图.当香豆素类基质用于分析糖蛋白时:3-HC和4-M-7-HC是测定糖蛋白A的优异基质,能检测到m/z 为66 672 Da 的离子信号.而3-AC测定糖蛋白B的基质效果比糖类分析常用基质2,5-二羟基苯甲酸更好.因此,这些香豆素类化合物将为MALDI TOF-MS分析多糖和糖蛋白提供更多新基质选择.     

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry with size-exclusion chromatographic fractionation for structural characterization of synthetic aliphatic copolyesters

We report matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) and off-line coupling of size-exclusion chromatography with MALDI-TOFMS analysis (SEC/MALDI-TOFMS) methods for the detailed characterization of poly[(R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-L-lactic acid], P[(R,S)-3HB-co-LA], and poly[(R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-epsilon-caprolactone], P[(R,S)-3HB-co-CL], copolymer samples which are expected to be used in special medical application as scaffolds for cartilage and soft tissue engineering. The novel copolyesters contained randomly distributed (R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate structural units, were synthesized by transesterification of the corresponding homopolymers, i.e. atactic poly[(R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate], a-PHB, and poly(L-Lactide) (PLLA) or poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL), respectively. The MS methods used for the characterization of the resulting polydisperse copolyester samples were supported by classical methods (NMR, SEC). The structures of individual copolyester macromolecules, including end-group chemical structures, were established using initially MALDI-TOFMS and then SEC/MALDI-TOFMS. The compositions of the copolyesters were determined by two methods, namely based on 1H NMR and MALDI-TOF spectra. The two sets of values showed good agreement. The sequence distribution was determined using the signal intensities of individual copolyester macromolecules, which appeared in MALDI-TOF mass spectra. Furthermore, sequence analysis gave information about the degree of transesterification. The copolyesters synthesized, with only one exception, were demonstrated to be almost random, which implies that the ester-ester exchange was close to completion.