Polymer Science, Series B

Bioactive copolymers are macromolecules capable of eliciting specific biological reactions when interacting with living systems. These compounds are engineered to interact with biological targets, making them valuable for a variety of biomedical applications, such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, and immunomodulation. Unlike inert materials, bioactive copolymers actively participate in biological processes. Proteins, nucleic acids, and polysaccharides are the most important natural bioactive polymers. In recent years, researchers have been developing synthetic copolymers with tailored properties for specific biomedical applications. Bioactive copolymers can be designed for controlled encapsulation and release of drugs, enabling targeted therapy. These compounds can be used as scaffolds for tissue regeneration by promoting cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. Bioactive polymers can be designed to interact with immune cells, potentially leading to new treatments for autoimmune diseases. Furthermore, bioactive copolymers can have multiple binding sites (ligands) for more effective interaction with biological targets, such as immune cells, acting as multivalent probes. Essentially, bioactive copolymers fill the gap between materials science and biological systems, offering promising solutions for a wide range of biomedical applications. Among these synthetic bioactive copolymers, copolymers based on bicyclo[2.2.1]-heptene (norbornene copolymers) are particularly noteworthy, possessing high biological activity. This paper highlights the results of research on the synthesis and application of biologically active copolymers of the norbornene series, and also presents the authors' own research findings.

The method of pulsed recording of diffraction gratings for estimating the rate constants of the polymerization reaction was verified and its instrumental and statistical errors in determining the constants were assessed. The statistical errors were estimated based on the recorded arrays of kinetic curves of the diffraction efficiency of phase transmission gratings. The assessment of instrumental errors of the rate constants of the polymerization and chain termination reactions was carried out according to the method of processing the results of direct and indirect measurements of experimental values, taking into account the instrumental errors of the equipment used. The pulsed diffraction grating recording method demonstrated close agreement between the polymerization and chain termination rate constants of acrylamide and the constants described in the literature for various conditions.

The sulfation reactions of chitosan derived from Bombyx morii were investigated, and optimal conditions were established for obtaining chitosan sulfate with a defined molecular structure and a specific degree of functional group substitution. It has been shown that chitosan sulfate has a pronounced immunostimulating activity and the ability to increase the number of cells in the central and peripheral immune organs, and also affects hematological parameters, increasing the titer of antibody to ram erythrocytes in the peripheral blood of mice.