Biobased Unsaturated Polyesters Containing Castor Oil-Derived Ricinoleic Acid and Itaconic Acid: Synthesis, In Vitro Antibacterial, and Cytocompatibility Studies.

A set of antibacterial polyesters, with inherent multibiomedical properties, comprising biobased monomers such as ricinoleic acid and itaconic acid together with α,ω-aliphatic diols, were synthesized via a greener synthetic route. The structures of the synthesized biobased unsaturated polyesters were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared and NMR spectral studies. The molecular weight of the prepolymers was determined by gel permeation chromatography analysis. The cured polymeric membranes were structurally characterized by attenuated total reflection infrared and powder X-ray diffraction. The mechanical, thermal, wettability, swelling, and sol content measurements of the cured polyester membranes were studied. The synthesized polyesters showed significant antibacterial activity against the Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus. The polyesters IRPe, IRD, and IRDd had shown potent anticancer activity against human liver cancer HepG2 cells and human breast cancer MCF7 cells. The highly hydrophilic IRH polyester was tested for its cell adhesive nature in mouse fibroblast cells (L929). The hydrophilicity, slow in vitro degradability, and cell adhesive capacity favor the exploration of these polymers further as drug carriers or as scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. The antibacterial and anticancer activities together with compatibility in normal human kidney embryonic Hek 293 cells exhibit the potentiality of these polymeric biomaterials to find application as anticancer drugs and antibacterial agents.