Biological evaluation of pH-responsive salicylate prodrug polymers for potential biomedical applications.

Kenia Palomino Vizcaino – Professor-Researcher, Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC); Lilia Angelica Hurtado Ayala – Professor-Researcher, Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC); Brisa Guadalupe Hernandez Ramirez – PhD student, Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC); Giovanni Palomino Vizcaino – Professor-Researcher, Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC); Arturo Estolano Cobian – Professor-Researcher, Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC); Ivan Cordova Guerrero – Professor-Researcher, Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC); Jose Manuel Cornejo Bravo – Professor-Researcher, Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC); Héctor Alfonso Magaña Badilla – Professor-Researcher, Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC)

Introduction:

Polymer implants often trigger inflammation and microbial colonization (1). Surface modification using stimuli-responsive, covalently bound drug delivery systems can mitigate these issues through controlled, pH-dependent release (2,3). Salicylic acid is especially attractive due to its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activity (4). Here, polymers from o-, m-, and p-MBA were developed to achieve sustained, pH-responsive release of hydroxybenzoic acids and to study how positional isomerism affects hydrolysis, antibacterial efficacy against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as cytocompatibility toward BALB/3T3 fibroblasts.