Biodegradable poly(ester urethane)urea elastomers with variable amino content for subsequent functionalization with phosphorylcholine

While surface modification is well suited for imparting biomaterials with specific functionality for favorable cell interactions, the modification of degradable polymers would be expected to provide only temporary benefit. Bulk modification by incorporating pendant reactive groups for subsequent functionalization of biodegradable polymers would provide a more enduring approach. Towards this end, a series of biodegradable poly(ester urethane)urea elastomers with variable amino content (PEUU–NH2 polymers) were developed. Carboxylated phosphorycholine was synthesized and conjugated to the PEUU–NH2 polymers for subsequent bulk functionalization to generate PEUU–PC polymers. Synthesis was verified by proton nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The impact of amine incorporation and phosphorylcholine conjugation was shown on mechanical, thermal and degradation properties. Water absorption increased with increasing amine content, and further with PC conjugation. In wet conditions, tensile strength and initial modulus generally decreased with increasing hydrophilicity, but remained in the range of 5–30 MPa and 10–20 MPa, respectively. PC conjugation was associated with significantly reduced platelet adhesion in blood contact testing and the inhibition of rat vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. These biodegradable PEUU–PC elastomers offer attractive properties for applications as non-thrombogenic, biodegradable coatings and for blood-contacting scaffold applications. Further, the PEUU–NH2 base polymers offer the potential to have multiple types of biofunctional groups conjugated onto the backbone to address a variety of design objectives.