Oxidation-Responsive Polymers: Which Groups to Use, How to Make Them, What to Expect From Them (Biomedical Applications)

Dramatic physical changes may take place upon the occurrence of oxidation reactions in a polymer, for example, solubilization or crosslinking. These effects can be used to perform responsive actions such as modulating the release kinetics of a drug with the extent of oxidation. The relevance of oxidation-responsive applications to the biomedical/pharmaceutical field is discussed, starting from a review of chemical groups that can respond to physiologically occurring oxidants. An overview of the preparative processes of polymers containing groups such as metallocenes, (poly)pyridyl metal complexes, polyconjugated sequences, thiols, thioethers (sulfides), and stannanes is presented, and the mechanisms of oxidative response are reviewed.