Preparation and properties of poly(benzyl glutamate)–poloxamer–poly(benzyl glutamate) and poly(glutamic acid)–poloxamer–poly(glutamic acid) triblock polymers

The novel block copolymer poly(benzyl glutamate) (PBLG)–polomamer–PBLG were synthesized from glutamic acid and poloxamer in six steps with three different molecular weights, and another new block copolymer, poly(glutamic acid) (PGA)–poloxamer–PGA, was obtained by the benzyl deprotection of PBLG–poloxamer–PBLG. The obtained compounds were characterized by IR spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, and ¹H‐NMR. The in vitro biological degradation and water absorption of PBLG showed that a greater proportion of PBLG in the copolymer led to a slower degradation and weaker water absorption, so the speed of degradation and water absorption could be adjusted through adjustment of the ratio of poloxamer. Both PBLG–poloxamer–PBLG and PGA–poloxamer–PGA exhibited lower cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility in the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The results show that both block polymers are promising as drug‐carrier materials. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013