Polymer Conjugates of Photoinducible CO‐Releasing Molecules

Abstract

AbstractCO‐releasing molecules (CORMs) were coordinated to polymeric carrier systems for passive transport to tumour tissue or sites of inflammation, as described by the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. The developed conjugates consist of an organometallic fac‐Mn(CO)3 fragment, which is bound to a methacrylate or methacrylamide polymer backbone by bis(pyridylmethyl)amine‐type ligands. The resulting Mn(CO)3–polymer conjugates were investigated as photoinducible CO‐releasing molecules (photoCORMs). Furthermore, three model complexes [LMn(CO)3]O2SCF3 containing N,N,N‐ligands L = bis(pyridylmethyl)amine (bpma), bis(pyridylmethyl)ethanolamine (bpmea) and bis(pyridylmethyl)‐p‐vinylbenzylamine (bpmvba) were also investigated. The solid‐state structure of the bromide complex [(bpmea)Mn(CO)3]Br.(CH3)2CHOH (4·(CH3)2CHOH) was determined by X‐ray analysis. The complexes and the polymer conjugates show photoCORM activity with polymer molecular weights and size distributions suitable for passive drug delivery.