Coupling hydrophilic amine-containing molecules to the backbone of poly(ε-caprolactone)

A poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) based biodegradable polymer containing robust, amine-reactive side chains has been successfully synthesized. The specific reactivity of the side chains allows for the coupling of unmodified amine-containing molecules such as poly(l-lysine) (PLL) to PCL to occur in the presence of other unprotected functional groups. The reactivity of this polymer has been demonstrated through successful coupling of both benzylamine (a model compound) and PLL. This novel amine-reactive polymer could have numerous applications in biomedical fields such as tissue engineering and drug delivery.