A Library of Multifunctional Polyesters with “Peptide-Like” Pendant Functional Groups

The synthesis and characterization of a library of modular multifunctional polyesters with pendant functional groups are described. The polyesters were synthesized at room temperature by carbodiimide-mediated polymerization of pendant functionalized diols and succinic acid. The pendant groups are designed to mimic the side chains of peptides, and it is shown that the physical properties of the polyesters can be modulated over a wide range by the choice of pendant groups. We also show that the pendant groups can be orthogonally functionalized with ligands such as fluorophores, poly­(ethylene glycol) (PEG) or Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD).