| Abstract: | The new monomer, 3,6‐endo‐methylene‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydrophthalimidoethanoyl‐5‐fluorouracil (ETEFU), was synthesized from 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) and 3,6‐endo‐methylene‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydophthalimidoethanoyl chloride (ETEC). Its homopolymer and copolymers with acrylic acid (AA) and vinyl acetate (VAc) were prepared by photopolymerization reactions using 2,2‐dimethoxy‐2‐phenylacetophenone (DMP) as the photoinitiator. The synthesized ETEFU and polymers were identified by FT‐IR, 1H‐NMR, and 13C‐NMR spectra. The contents of ETEFU units in poly(ETEFU‐co‐AA) and poly(ETEFU‐co‐VAc) were 20 and 17 mol%, respectively. The number‐average molecular weights of the synthesized polymers determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) were 4,600 to 10,700 g mol−1. In vitro cytotoxicities of samples were evaluated with cancer cell lines mouse mammary carcinoma (FM3A), mouse leukemia (P388), and human histiocytic lymphoma (U937)] and a normal cell line mouse liver cells (AC2F)]. Cytotoxicities of 5‐FU and synthesized samples against the cancer cell lines were ranked as follows: ETEFU > poly(ETEFU) > 5‐FU > poly(ETEFU‐co‐AA) > poly(ETEFU‐co‐VAc). The in vivo antitumor activities of poly(ETEFU) and poly(ETEFU‐co‐AA) against Balb/C mice bearing the sarcoma 180 tumor cells were greater than those of 5‐FU at all doses except for the activity of poly(ETEFU) at 0.8 mg/kg. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1589–1595, 1999 |
