PEG and Cholesterol-Containing Pyromellitates: Synthesis and Self-Assembly

A new synthetic route for two different amphiphilic macromolecular structures containing hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and lipophilic cholesterol fragments is described. The novelty of the synthesis is in combining hydrophilic and lipophilic fragments in a backbone using functional groups of the pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) molecule. The ability of the new oligomers to undergo self-assembly and solubilization of lipophilic molecules in an aqueous medium is compared. The new oligomers form self-assemblies capable of solubilizing lipophilic guest molecules in an aqueous medium. Their high solubilization capacity and biodegradability, as well as other properties (size distribution, -potential), make the synthesized macromolecules good candidates for biomedical applications. Using the developed approach, amphiphilic macromolecules with regulated surface activity can be synthesized by combining PEG of varying lengths with different hydrophobic fragments (for example, fatty alcohols) in the backbone.