Chemical functionalisation of vinyl polymers to obtain heparin-like materials

Vinyl polymers such as poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) (EVAL) and polyallylamine (PALA) both commercially available were chemically modified by introduction of carboxylic and sulfonate groups to obtain polymeric materials with improved haemocompatibility. The introduction of carboxyl groups was carried out by reaction of EVAL’s hydroxy groups with acrylonitrile followed by basic hydrolysis of –CN groups. Amino groups of PALA were transformed into sulfonate groups by reaction with pyridine-SO3 complex. Influence of reagents molar ratio, temperature and reaction time on the carboxylation degree was evaluated. In particular, yields of 86% (EVAL-CN 0.52) and 30%(EVALCOOH 0.16) were obtained for the cyanoethylation and the hydrolysis reaction of the –CN groups, respectively,whereas a sulfonation of 24% of the PALA amino groups was found. The functionalised polymers were characterized by physicochemical measurements. Preliminary biological tests proved the importance of strong acidic groups on the anticoagulant properties of the polymeric materials.