Abstract
A novel polymeric material with antioxidant properties and suitable for ophthalmic application was synthesized by free radical grafting reaction between 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and quercetin. The presence of quercetin in the polymeric chain was confirmed by FT-IR and UV-Vis analyses, while an estimation of the amount of quercetin bound per gram of polymer was obtained by the Folin-Ciocalteu assay. The conjugate shows high biocompatibility (HET-CAM assay) and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which were extensively investigated by specific in vitro tests.
Highlights
The synthesis of biocompatible, comfortable and durable materials to be used in ophthalmology is still a challenge
Among the several synthetic strategies which are proposed in the literature for the synthesis of polymer-antioxidant conjugates [37], the free radical grafting procedure was recently explored as a new useful methodology for the synthesis of polymeric antioxidants, both synthetic and natural [38]
The synthesis of the conjugate was carried out according to literature data [38]. 0.5 mg of quercetin per 5.0 mg of HEMA corresponds to the highest amount of quercetin which can be dissolved in the reaction medium
Summary
The synthesis of biocompatible, comfortable and durable materials to be used in ophthalmology is still a challenge. The definition of oxidative stress implies increased oxidant production and/or a decreased antioxidant capacity in animal cells characterized by the release of free radicals, resulting in cellular degeneration [12]. Many studies have been carried out with quercetin and (epi) catechin, as they are major flavonoids in the human diet that are available as commercial standards These compounds behave as powerful antioxidants and free radical scavengers [18] and are able to interact with several key enzymes [19]. As reported in recent papers, this approach is very useful to synthesize polymer-antioxidant conjugates without the generation of toxic reaction by-products and, at room temperatures, preserving the antioxidant by degradation processes [23] In this works, the synthetic approach was adopted to prepare a new pHEMA-antioxidant conjugate which was extensively investigated in terms of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and biocompatibility properties. Q represents an ideal candidate for the synthesis of a new generation of HEMA conjugates
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