a description of the novel process for preparing the biological coupling agents / biomonomers of production d is set forth in scheme a , where , r is ch 2 ch 3 or cyclopropyl for norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin , respectively . typically , linka molecules have molecular weights ranging from 60 to 2000 and preferably 60 to 700 , and must have at least di - functionality to permit coupling of at least two [ bio ] units . the [ bio ] unit has a molecular weight & lt ; 2000 but may be higher depending on the structure of the molecule . preferred [ bio ] components include but are not limited to the following categries and examples : anti - inflammatory : non - steroidal - oxaceprol , steroidal enoxolone ; antithrombotic : tirofiban , lotrafiban ; anti - coagulant : heparin ; anti - proliferation : acivicin and alkeren ; anti - microbial : fluoroquinolones such as norfloxancin , ciprofloxacin , sparfloxacin and trovafloxacin and other fluoroquinolones . scheme a provides a general synthetic procedure for preparing the compounds of product d with formula ( i ). in step a , a pharmaceutically active drug , such as norfloxacin or ciprofloxacin ( in the form of hydrochloride salt ) is reacted with protecting groups such as trityl halides in the presence of triethylene amine to provide an intermediate with both amine and carboxylic acid groups protected with a trityl group . it is understood by those skilled in the art that other protecting groups can be used as exemplified in this document &# 39 ; s examples . a suitable trityl halide is reacted with norfloxacin or ciprofloxacin hydrochloride salt in a suitable solvent , such as chloroform . many other solvents may be needed depending on the solubility of the selected protecting groups and the agents forming the biomonomer . suitable trityl halides include trityl chloride and trityl bromide . a preferred trityl halide is trityl chloride . the amount of trityl halide ranges from 2 to . 4 molar equivalent of norfloxacin / ciprofloxacin , a preferred amount is 2 . 2 molar equivalents . triethylamine is added to scavenge free hcl which is generated as a byproduct . a little excess amount of triethylamine will avoid the deprotection of the n - triethylamine group in the following selective hyrolyzation step . in the case of ciprofloxacin , an excess molar amount of triethylene amine such as 2 to 4 times was added into reaction mixture . a preferred amount is 3 times . the reaction mixture is stirred for a period of time ranging from 2 - 24 hours in a temperature range of 0 ° c . to 60 ° c . a preferred stifling time is 4 hours and a preferred temperature is 25 ° c . a homogenous solution is obtained . following this step , product a is left in the reaction solution for the next step of the in - situ reaction . no isolation of the product a is required during processing . in step b , the reaction product of step a , such as norfloxacin / ciprofloxacin with both amine and carboxylic acid groups protected with trityl group , is selectively deprotected to yield product b containing free carboxylic acid and n - triethylamine groups . for example , in step b , a large amount of methanol was added into the reaction mixture of step a . the volume of methanol ranges from equivalent to two times that of the solvent used in step a . a preferred volume is 1 . 5 times that of the solvent volume . the reaction mixture is stirred for 1 - 24 hrs in a temperature range from 25 ° c . to 60 ° c . a preferred stirring time is 2 hrs and a preferred temperature is 50 ° c . the selectively deprotected fluoroquinolone material is precipitated from the reaction solution . product b is recovered from the reaction zone by filtration after the reaction mixture is cooled down to room temperature . product b is further purified from chcl 3 / methanol by standard recrystallization method . in step c , the purified amine - protected fluoroquinolone is coupled to both sides of a diol or diamine ( in this example , triethylene glycol is used ) containing a flexible and / or water - soluble central portion . for example , the purified amine - protected fluoroquinolone ( product b ) is coupled to a tri ( ethylene glycol ) in the presence of a suitable coupling agent such as 1 - ethyl - 3 -( 3 - dimethylamino - propyl ) carbodiimide herein denoted as edac and an appropriate base such as 4 -( dimethylamino ) pyridine herein denoted as dmap as a catalyst . other coupling reagents may include various carbodiimides such as cmc ( 1 - cyclohexyl - 3 -( 2 - morpholinoethyl ) carbodiimide ), dcc ( n , n ′- dicyclohexyl - carbodiimide ), dic ( diisopropyl carbodiimide ) etc , but are not limited to these . the amount of diol ranges from 0 . 3 to 0 . 5 molar equivalent of product b . a preferred amount of dial is 0 . 475 molar equivalent of product b . the amount of coupling agent edac ranges from 2 to 10 times molar equivalent of product b . a preferred amount of edac is 8 times molar equivalent . the amount of base dmap can range from 0 . 1 to equal molar amount of product b . a preferred amount is 0 . 5 molar equivalents . the reaction was carried out in a suitable solvent such as dichloromethane under a noble atmosphere such as nitrogen , argon . other solvents may be appropriate depending on their solubility properties with product b and their potential reactivity with the reagents . the reactants are typically stirred together for a period of time ranging from 24 hours to 2 weeks at a temperature range from 0 ° c . to 50 ° c . a preferred stirring time is one week and a preferred temperature is 25 ° c . after the reaction is finished , solvent is removed by rotary evaporator . the residues are washed with water several times to remove soluble reagents such as edac . the solids are then dissolved in chloroform . product c in scheme 1 is recovered from the solution by standard extractive methods using chloroform as the extraction solvent . product c was isolated by column chromatography using a developer made up of chloroform / methanol / ammonia hydroxide aqueous solution ( 9 . 2 : 0 . 6 : 0 . 2 ). product c is further purified with recrystallization techniques from chloroform and methanol . in step d , the n - trietylamine groups of the purified product c are deprotected to yield the corresponding desired pharmaceutical coupling agent / biomonomer . for example , the appropriate product c is reacted with a small amount of water in the presence of a small amount of weak acid , such as trifluoroacetic acid , in a suitable organic solvent such as dichloromethane . the amount of water can range from 1 % to 10 % volume percentage and a preferred amount is 1 %. the amount of trifluoroacetic acid is between 1 % to 10 % volume percent , with a preferred amount being 2 %. the reaction mixture is stirred within a temperature range of 0 ° c . to 50 ° c . over a time period of 2 to 24 hours . a preferred temperature is 25 ° c . and a preferred time period is 4 hours . product d is precipitated from reaction solution and collected by filtration . the product is further purified by washing with chcl 3 . the pharmaceutically active polymers are synthesized in a traditional stepwise polymerization manner as are well known in the art . a multi - functional link b molecule and a multi - functional oligo molecule are reacted to form a prepolymer . the prepolymer chain is extended with said biomonomer to yield a polymer containing the biomonomers . non - biological extenders such as an ethylene diamine , butane diol , ethylene glycol and others may also be used . the linkb molecule is preferably , but not so limited , to be di - functional in nature , in order to favour the formation of a linear polymer containing biomonomers . preferred linkb molecules for biomedical and biotechnology applications are diisocyanates : for example , 2 , 4 toluene diisocyanate ; 2 , 6 toluene diisocyanate ; methylene bis ( p - phenyl ) diisocyanate ; lysine diisocyanato esters ; 1 , 6 hexane diisocyanate ; 1 , 12 dodecane diisocyanate ; bis - methylene die cyclohexyl isocyanate ); trimethyl - 1 , 6 diisocyanatohexane , dicarboxylic acids , di - acid chlorides , disulfonyl chlorides or others . the oligo component is preferably , but not so limited , difunctional , in order to favor the formation of a linear polymer containing said biomonomers . preferred oligo components are terminal diamine and diol reagents of : for example , polycarbonate , polysiloxanes , polydimethylsiloxanes ; polyethylene - butylene co - polymers ; polybutadienes ; polyesters including polycaprolactones , polylactic acid , and other polyesters ; polyurethane / sulfone co - polymer ; polyurethanes ; polyamides ; including oligopeptides ( polyalanine , polyglycine or copolymers of amino - acids ) and polyureas ; polyalkylene oxides and specifically polypropylene oxide , polyethylene oxide and polytetramethylene oxide . the molecular weights of the [ oligo ] groups are less than 10 , 000 , but preferably have molecular weights of less than 5000 . synthesis of the prepolymers to the bioactive polymer can be carried out by classical urethane / urea reactions using the desired combination of reagents but with the excess amount of linkb molecules in order to end - cap the prepolymer with linkb molecule . when the prepolymer with desired chain length is reached , said biomonomer is added to extend the prepolymer chain giving a final bioactive polymer . alternatively the biomonomers may be substituted for inclusion as the oligo groups . bioactive polymers can be synthesized with different components and stoichometry . prior to synthesis , the link b molecules are , preferably , vacuum distilled to remove residual moisture . the biomonomers are desiccated to remove all moisture . oligo components are degassed overnight to remove residual moisture and low molecular weight organics . while reactants can be reacted in the absence of solvents if practical , it is preferable to use organic solvents compatible with the chemical nature of the reagents , in order to have good control over the characteristics of the final product . typical organic solvents include , for example , dimethylacetamide , acetone , tetrahydrofuran , ether , chloroform , dimethylsulfoxide and dimethylformamide . a preferred reaction solvent is dimethylsulfoxide ( dmso , aldrich chemical company , milwaukee , wis .). in view of the low reaction activity of some diisocyanates , e . g . ddi and thdi , with oligo precursor diols , a catalyst is preferred for the synthesis . typical catalysts are similar to those used in the synthesis of urethane chemistry and , include , dibutyltin dilaurate , stannous octoate , n , n ′ diethylcyclohexylamine , n - methylmorpholine , 1 , 4 diazo ( 2 , 2 , 2 ) bicyclo - octane and zirconium complexes such as zr tetrakis ( 2 , 4 - pentanedionato ) complex . in the first step of the preparation of a prepolymer , for example , the linkb molecules are added to the oligo component and , optionally , catalyst to provide the prepolymer of the bioactive polymer . the reaction mixture is stirred at a temperature of 60 ° c . for a suitable time period , which depends on the reaction components and the stoichiometry . alternate temperatures can range between 25 ° c . to 110 ° c . subsequently , said biomonomer is added to the prepolymer and , generally , the mixture is allowed to react overnight . the reaction is terminated with methanol and the product is precipitated in ether or a mixture of distilled water with ether or other suitable solvents . the precipitate is dissolved in a suitable solvent , such as acetone and precipitated in ether or a mixture of distilled water with ether again . this process was repeated 3 times in order to remove any residual catalyst compound . following washing , the product is dried under vacuum at 40 ° c . alternatively , the biomonomers can be used to make polyamides using classical reactions such as those described below . the pharmaceutical polymers containing biomonomers are either used alone or admixed with suitable amounts of base polymers in the fabrication of article products . if admixed in a blend , then suitable polymers may include polyurethane , polyester or other base polymers . product may be formed by ; 1 ) compounding methods for subsequent extrusion or injection molding or articles ; 2 ) co - dissolving of base polymer with bioactive polymer into a solvent of common compatibility for subsequent casting of an article in a mold or for spinning fibers to fabricate an article ; 3 ) wetting the surface of an article with a solution of bioactive polymer or a blend in solvent of common compatibility with a polyurethane or other polymer to which the bioactive polymer solution is being applied ; or 4 ) in admixture with a curable polyurethane , for example , 2 part curing system such as a veneer . all of the above processes can be used with the pure polymer , containing the biomonomer groups or with blends of said polymer and common biomedical polymers . the invention , thus , provides the ability to synthesize a range of novel polymeric materials possessing intramolecular properties of pharmaceutical or biological nature . when said polymers are used alone or in admixture with , for example , a polyurethane , the bioactive polymer provides the composite having better pharmaceutical function , particularly for use in medical devices , promoting cell function and regulation , tissue integration , pro - active blood compatibility and specifically anti - coagulant / platelet function , biostability function , anti - microbial function and anti - inflammatory function , or for use in the biotechnology sector for biological activity . the application for these materials include the synthesis of bioresorbable polymers used in medical device products that require the delivery of biologicals , pharmaceuticals or the release of biocompatible materials upon biodegradation within or in contact with a biological body ( human or animal ). this includes the manufacturing of products in the form of films ( cast or heat formed ), fibres ( solvent or melt spun ), formed into composite materials ( polymers combined in any form with ceramics , metals or other polymers ) of any shape , injection molded , compression molded , extruded products . such product can include but are not limited to : cardiac assist devices , tissue engineering polymeric scaffolds and related devices , cardiac replacement devices , cardiac septal patches , intra aortic balloons , percutaneous cardiac assist devices , extra - corporeal circuits , a - v fistual , dialysis components ( tubing , filters , membranes , etc . ), aphoresis units , membrane oxygenator , cardiac by - pass components ( tubing , filters , etc . ), pericardial sacs , contact lens , cochlear ear implants , sutures , sewing rings , cannulas , contraceptives , syringes , o - rings , bladders , penile implants , drug delivery systems , drainage tubes , pacemaker lead insulators , heart valves , blood bags , coatings for implantable wires , catheters , vascular stents , angioplasty balloons and devices , bandages , heart massage cups , tracheal tubes , mammary implant coatings , artificial ducts , craniofacial and maxillofacial reconstruction applications , ligaments , fallopian tubes . other non - medical applications may include of bioresorbable polymers used in products that are environmentally friendly ( including but not limited to garbage bags , bottles , containers , storage bags and devices , products which could release reagents into the environment to control various biological systems including control of insects , biologically active pollutants , elimination of bacterial or viral agents , promoting health related factors including enhancing the nutritional value of drinking fluids and foods , or various ointments and creams that are applied to biological systems ( including humans , animals and other ). where appropriate all isocyanate reactions were catalysed with dbtl ( dibutyltin dilaurate ). nuclear magnetic resonance was used to identify the structure of the biomonomer . mass spectroscopy was used to confirm the molar mass of the synthesized biomonomer . gel permeation chromatography was used to define the distribution of [ bio ] the moiety within the drug polymer and to estimate relative molecular weights of the polymer . characterization of tin residues located at the surface of the drug polymer coatings was demonstrated using x - ray photoelectron spectroscopy ( measuring chemical composition ) at 90 degree . elimination of tin residues is important for biological applications since the latter is toxic . in vitro evaluation of antimicrobial release and biodegradation were performed in order to assess the rates of degradation for the different antimicrobial polymer formulations and determines periods of efficacy . in these studies the polymers are incubated with enzytne and the solution is recovered for separation of degradation products . hydrolytic enzymes related to monocyte macrophages , specifically cholesterol esterase , and neutrophils ( elastase ), with in a ph 7 phosphate buffered saline solution may be used for in vitro tests over a 10 - week time frame . degradation products may be characterized using high performance liquid chromatography ( hplc ), combined with mass spectroscopy . minimum inhibitory concentration ( mic ) assays were used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of incubating solutions obtained from drug polymer biodegradation studies against p . aeruginosa . turbidity of each culture was recorded to evaluate the inhibitory properties of degradation solution of drug polymers . sterilization stability of drug polymers was estimated after drug polymers were sterilized by γ - radiation sterilization ( radiation dose : 25 kgy ), a standard method in the medical device field . gpc measurements were carried on with these samples before and after they were radiated and after a time period of 1 to 4 weeks . biocompatibility study of the drug polymers was also performed in order to assess the biocompatibility of control and drug polymers with mammalian cells . in this study , hela cells were cultured directly onto the polyurethane polymers films and incubated at 37 ° c . for 24 hours . cell viability was measured by staining for succinate dehydrogenase . in vivo animal studies are performed on substrates , devices or articles according to the invention formed in whole or in part of bioactive polymers . the articles containing either bioactive polymer or non - bioactive control polymer were implanted in the peritonitis of male rats accompanied with an inoculation of p . aeurogniosa bacteria . the articles were explanted after rats were housed for 1 week . the effect of the antimicrobial polymer was evaluated . the following examples illustrate the preparation of biomonomers and bioresponsive pharmacologically active polymers according to the invention . norf - teg - norf and cipro - teg - cipro are examples of antimicrobial drug containing biomonomers according to the invention . the example shows the use of a single drug or combination of drugs . the conditions of synthesis for this reaction are as follows . in step a , of norf ( 1 . 3 g , 4 mmol )/ or cipro hydrochloride salt ( 4 mmol ) were reacted with trityl chloride ( 2 . 7 g , 8 . 8 mmol ) and tea ( 0 . 6 ml , 8 mmol ) ( aldrich , 99 %)/ or 12 mmol of tea in the case of cipro in 40 ml of chcl 3 for four hours at room temperature . a clear solution was obtained . in step b , 40 ml of methanol was added into the above clear solution . the mixture was heated to 50 ° c . and stirred for one hour ; a precipitate appeared in the solution . after the reaction mixture was cooled down to room temperature , precipitates were collected by filtration . the precipitate was further purified from chcl 3 / methanol . 3 . 4 mmol of product b were obtained . yield was usually greater than 85 %. in step c , product b ( 20 mmol ), teg ( 1 . 44 g , 9 . 5 mmol ), dmap ( 1 . 24 g , 10 mmol ) were dissolved in 100 ml dcm . edac ( 31 g , 160 mmol ) was then added into the reaction system . the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature under a nitrogen atmosphere for one week . after reaction was finished , dcm was removed by rotary evaporator . the residues were washed with de - ionized water several times to remove soluble reagents such as the by - product of urea . the solids were then dissolved in chloroform and washed with de - ionized water again . the crude product of the reaction was recovered from the solution by extraction . product c was isolated by column chromatograph using the developer of chloroform / methanol / ammonia hydroxide aqueous solution ( 9 . 2 : 0 . 6 : 0 . 2 ). product c is further purified with recrystallization technique from chloroform and methanol . product c can be obtained with a yield of 85 %. in step d , the purified product c ( 5 . 4 g , 4 . 4 mmol ) was dissolved in chloroform containing one volume percent of water and 1 volume percent of trifluoroacetic acid . the reaction solution was stirred at room temperature for 4 hrs . white precipitates that were produced in the reaction were collected by filtration and purified by washing with chloroform . following washing product d , i . e . the biomonomer was dried in vacuum oven for 24 hours at a temperature of 40 ° c . the pure product d i . e . said biomonomer can be obtained with a yield of 95 %. 1 h nmr of norf - teg - norf : ( 400 mhz , dmso ). δ : 9 . 33 ( bs , 2h , nh ), 8 . 52 ( s , 2h , h 2 , ar ), 7 . 66 ( d , 2h , j = 13 . 6 hz , h 5 , ar ), 7 . 01 ( d , 2h , j = 7 . 2 hz , h 8 , ar ), 4 . 33 ( q , 4h , j = 6 . 8 hz , n — ch 2 — ch 3 ), 4 . 26 ( t , 4h , j = 4 . 8 hz , co 2 ch 2 ), 3 . 71 ( t , 4h , j = 4 . 8 hz , co 2 ch 2 ch 2 ) 3 . 48 - 3 . 28 ( m , 16a , piperazine ), 1 . 33 ( t , 6h , j = 6 . 8 hz , nch 2 ch 3 ). [ fig1 ] 13 c nmr of norf - teg - norf : ( 400 mhz , dmso ). δ : 171 . 9 , 164 . 7 , 159 . 3 , 159 . 0 , 153 . 8 , 151 . 4 , 149 . 0 , 143 . 4 , 143 . 3 , 136 . 4 , 123 . 4 , 122 . 0 , 119 . 0 , 116 . 0 , 112 . 4 , 109 . 4 , 106 . 6 , 70 . 4 , 68 . 9 , 63 . 6 , 48 . 6 , 47 . 1 , 43 . 1 , 43 . 0 , 14 . 6 , [ fig2 ] es - ms of norf - teg - norf ( m / z , %) ( positive mode ): calculated for mass c 38 h 46 f 2 n 6 o 8 : 752 amu , found 753 , 377 ( m + 2h ) + . [ fig3 ] 1 h nmr of cipro - teg - cipro : ( 400 mhz , dmso ). δ : 9 . 16 ( bs , 2h , nh — r ), 8 . 30 ( s , 2h , h 2 , ar ), 7 . 49 ( d , 2h , j = 13 . 2 hz , h 5 , ar ), 7 . 34 ( d , 2h , j = 7 . 6 hz , h 8 , ar ), 4 . 25 ( t , 4h , j = 5 . 2 hz , n — ch ( ch 2 ) 2 ); 3 . 73 ( t , 4h , j = 4 . 4 hz , co 2 ch 2 ), 3 . 46 - 3 . 30 ( m , 16h , piperazine ), 1 . 22 ( q , 4h , j = 6 . 4 hz , ch ( ch 2 ch 2 )), 1 . 07 ( m , 4h , ch ( ch 2 ch 2 )). [ fig4 ] 13 c nmr of cipro - teg - cipro : ( 400 mhz , dmso ). δ : 171 . 9 , 164 . 1 , 158 . 7 , 153 . 9 , 151 . 5 , 148 . 4 , 143 . 0 , 142 . 9 , 138 . 1 , 122 . 6 , 122 . 5 , 111 . 9 , 111 . 7 , 109 . 2 , 107 . 0 , 79 . 6 , 70 . 5 , 70 . 4 , 68 . 9 , 63 . 7 , 47 . 0 , 43 . 2 , 35 . 3 , 7 . 9 . [ fig5 ] es - ms of cipro - teg - cipro ( m z , %) ( positive mode ): calculated for mass c 40 h 46 f 2 n 6 o 8 : 776 amu , found 777 ( m + h + ); 389 ( m + 2h ) + . [ fig6 ] cipro - hdl - cipro is example of biomonomer according to the invention and different from example 1 by the introduction of a hydrophobic link a molecule rather than hydrophilic link a molecule . the conditions of synthesis for this reaction are as follows . the reaction conditions for selectively protecting amine groups of cipro are the same as the step a and b in example 1 . in step c , product b ( 20 mmol ), hdl ( 9 . 5 mmol ), dmap ( 1 . 24 g , 10 mmol ) were dissolved in 100 ml dcm . edac ( 31 g , 160 mmol ) was then added into reaction system . the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature under a nitrogen atmosphere for one week . after the reaction was finished , dcm was removed by rotary evaporator . the residues were washed with de - ionized water several times to remove soluble reagents such as the by - product of urea . the solids were then dissolved in chloroform and washed with de - ionized water again . the crude product of the reaction was recovered from the solution by extraction . product c was isolated by column chromatography using the developer of chloroform / methanol / ammonia hydroxide aqueous solution ( 9 . 2 : 0 . 6 : 0 . 2 ). product c is further purified with a recrystallization technique from chloroform and methanol . in step d , the purified product c ( 4 mmol ) was dissolved in chloroform containing one volume percent of water and 1 volume percent of trifluoroacetic acid . the reaction solution was stirred at room temperature for 4 hrs . white precipitates produced in the reaction were collected by filtration and purified by washing with chloroform . following washing product d , i . e . the biomonomer was dried in vacuum oven for 24 hours at a temperature of 40 ° c . norf - hda - norf is example of biomonomer according to the invention and different from example 1 in that a diamine is used to generate an amide rather than ester linkage in the biomonomer . the conditions of synthesis for this reaction are as follows . the reaction conditions for selectively protecting amine groups of norf are the same as the step a and b in example 1 . in step c , product b ( 20 mmol ), hda ( 9 . 5 mmol ), dmap ( 1 . 24 g , 10 mmol ) were dissolved in 100 ml dcm . edac ( 31 g , 160 mmol ) was then added into reaction system . the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature under a nitrogen atmosphere for one week . after the reaction was finished , dcm was removed by rotary evaporator . the residues were washed with de - ionized water several times to remove soluble reagents such as the by - product of urea . the solids were then dissolved in chloroform and washed with de - ionized water again . the crude product of the reaction was recovered from the solution by extraction . product c was isolated by column chromatography using the developer of chloroform / methanol / ammonia hydroxyl aqueous solution ( 9 . 2 : 0 . 6 : 0 . 2 ). product c is further purified with recrystallization technique from chloroform and methanol . in step d , the purified product c ( 4 mmol ) was dissolved in chloroform containing one volume percent of water and 1 volume percent of trifluoroacetic acid . the reaction solution was stirred at room temperature for 4 hrs . white precipitates produced in the reaction were collected by filtration and purified by washing with chloroform . following washing product d , i . e . the biomonomer was dried in vacuum oven for 24 hours at a temperature of 40 ° c . oc - teg - oc is an example of anti - inflammatory drug containing biomonomer according to the invention . the biomonomer was synthesized using oxaceprol ( oc ), by reacting the carboxylic acid with the hydroxyl of teg and leaving the hydroxyl for subsequent use in the polymerization . the conditions of synthesis for this reaction are as follows . in step a , oc ( 11 . 55 mmol ) was reacted with t - butyldimethylsilyl chloride ( 28 . 87 mmol ) and 1 , 8 - diazabicylco [ 5 . 4 . 0 ] undec - 7 - ene ( 30 . 03 mmol ) in 4 ml of acetonitrile at 0 ° c . during the addition of the base and then overnight at ambient temperature . a precipitate developed during the progress of the reaction the precipitate was filtered . in step b , the filtrate was treated with water ( 10 ml ) and extracted with n - pentane ( 2 × 5 ml ). the solvent for the aqueous portion was removed under reduced atmosphere . the residue was dissolved in methanol ( 10 ml ), tetrahydrofuran ( 5 ml ), water ( 5 ml ) and then treated with 2n aqueous sodium hydroxide ( 8 ml ). the reaction mixture was stirred for 1 . 5 h at room temperature , adjusted to a ph = 3 with 1 n hcl , concentrated and filtered . the precipitate obtained was recrystallized from water and afforded pure 4 ( 2 . 79 g , 84 %). 1 h nmr : ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ : 4 . 87 ( bs , 1h , co 2 h ), 4 . 61 ( dd , 1h , j = 8 . 0 hz , 6 . 4 hz , chco 2 h ), 4 . 48 ( p , 1h , j = 4 . 4 hz , chosi ), 3 . 67 ( dd , 1h , j = 10 . 4 hz , 4 . 8 hz , chhn ), 3 . 36 ( dd , 1h , j = 10 . 4 hz , 6 . 0 hz , chhn ), 2 . 36 ( dt , 2h , j = 13 . 2 hz , 5 . 2 hz , 2h , ch 2 chco 2 h ), 2 . 12 ( s , 3h , coch 3 ), 0 . 86 ( s , 9h , c ( ch 3 ) 3 ), 0 . 08 ( s , 3h , sich 3 ), 0 . 07 ( s , 3h , sich 3 ). [ fig7 ] 13 c nmr : ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ : 172 . 7 , 172 . 3 , 70 . 0 , 58 . 3 , 56 . 2 , 37 . 1 , 25 . 6 , 22 . 2 , 17 . 9 , − 4 . 8 , − 5 . 0 . [ fig8 ] es - ms ( m / z , %) ( negative mode ): calculated for mass c 13 h 25 no 4 si : 287 amu , found 286 . 1 . [ fig9 ] in step c , product b ( 3 . 48 mmol ), teg ( 1 . 58 mmol ), dmap ( 0 . 16 mmol ) were dissolved in dcm ( 5 ml ). edac ( 3 . 95 mmol ) was then added into the reaction solution cooled to 0 ° c . the resulting solution was stirred for 1 h at 0 ° c ., the cooling was removed , and the mixture was stirred for 5 days at ambient temperature . the solvent was removed under reduced pressure . water ( 20 ml ) and the system was extracted with pentane ( 3 × 10 ml ). the combined pentane extracts where dried using sodium sulphate , filtered , and the solvent removed under reduced pressure . this produced 0 . 74 g ( 67 %) of the desired product . 1 h nmr : ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ : 4 . 87 ( m , 2h , chco 2 ), 4 . 26 ( m , 2h , chosi ), 4 . 05 ( m , 2h , chhn ), 3 . 74 - 3 . 31 ( m , 4h ), 3 . 31 ( m , 2h , chhn ), 2 . 13 ( m , 4h , ch 2 chco 2 ), 2 . 12 ( s , 6h , coch 3 ), 2 . 0 ( m , 4h ), 1 . 18 ( m , 4h ), 0 . 81 ( s , 18h , c ( ch 3 ) 3 ), − 0 . 003 ( s , 6h , sich 3 ), − 0 . 03 ( s , 6h , sich 3 ). [ fig1 ] 13 c nmr : ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ : 172 . 3 , 171 . 0 , 72 . 5 , 70 . 6 , 70 . 4 , 64 . 0 , 60 . 3 , 57 . 5 , 57 . 3 , 55 . 9 , 54 . 3 , 52 . 1 , 40 . 4 , 38 . 3 , 34 . 0 , 26 . 6 , 22 . 1 , 20 . 9 , 17 . 8 , 14 . 1 , − 4 . 8 , − 5 . 0 . [ fig1 ] es - ms ( m / z , %) ( positive mode ): calculated for mass c 32 h 60 n 2 o 10 si 2 : 688 amu , found 689 . 3 . [ fig1 ] in step d , the purified product c ( 0 . 7 mmol ) was dissolved in thf ( 5 ml ). the resulting solution was cooled to 0 ° c . before the addition of tetra n - butyl ammonium fluoride ( x ml , 1 . 4 mmol ). the resulting solution was stirred at 0 ° c . for 5 min before the removal of the ice bath and continued stifling for an additional 40 min at ambient temperature . the solvent was removed at reduced atmosphere and the residue was treated with water and the ph of the solution was adjusted to 3 upon which a precipitate resulted . the precipitate was filtered to produce the desired product . tf - teg - tf is an example of anti - thrombic drug containing biomonomer according to the invention . the biomonomer is synthesized using tirofiban ( tf ), reacting the carboxylic acid with the hydroxyl of teg and leaving the amines for subsequent use in the polymerization . the conditions for synthesis for this reaction are as follows . in step a , tf ( 4 mmol ) is reacted with trityl chloride ( 8 . 8 mmol ) and tea ( 8 mmol ) ( aldrich , 99 %) in 40 ml of chcl 3 for four hours at room temperature . a clear solution is obtained . in step b , 40 ml of methanol is added into the above clear solution . the mixture is heated to 50 ° c . and stirred for one hour , a lot of precipitates appeared in the solution . after the reaction mixture is cooled down to room temperature , precipitates were collected by filtration . they were further purified from chcl 3 / methanol . 3 . 4 mmol of product b were obtained . in step c , product b ( 20 mmol ), teg ( 9 . s mmol ), dmap ( 1 . 24 g , 10 mmol ) were dissolved in 100 ml dcm . edac ( 31 g , 160 mmol ) is added into the reaction system . the reaction mixture is stirred at room temperature under a nitrogen atmosphere for one week . after reaction is finished , dcm was removed by rotary evaporator . the residues were washed with de - ionized water several times to remove soluble reagents such as the by - product of urea . the solids were then dissolved in chloroform and washed with de - ionized water again . the crude product of the reaction is recovered from the solution by extraction . product c was isolated by column chromatography using the developer of chloroform / methanol / ammonia hydroxide aqueous solution ( 9 . 2 : 0 . 6 : 0 . 2 ). product c is further purified with recrystallization technique from chloroform and methanol . in step d , the purified product c ( 4 mmol ) is dissolved in chloroform containing one volume percent of water and 1 volume percent of trifluoroacetic acid . the reaction solution is stirred at room temperature for 4 hrs . white precipitates produced in the reaction were collected by filtration and purified by washing with chloroform . following washing product d , i . e . the biomonomer is dried in vacuum oven for 24 hours at a temperature of 40 ° c . ak - teg - ak is an example of anti - proliferation drug containing biomonomer according to the invention . the biomonomer was synthesized using alkeren ( ak ), reacting the carboxylic acid with the hydroxyl of teg and leaving the amines for subsequent use in the polymerization . the conditions for synthesis for this reaction are as follows . in step a , ak ( 0 . 32 mmol ) was reacted with di - tert - butyl carbonate ( 0 . 5 mmol ) and tea ( 0 . 32 mmol ) ( aldrich , 99 %) in thf ( 4 ml ). the suspension was cooled to 0 ° c . before the addition of the anhydride . dimethylformamide ( 0 . 9 ml ) was added to homogenize the reaction mixture . the solution was stirred for 2 hours at 0 ° c ., and thereafter overnight at ambient temperature . the solution is then evaporated under reduced pressure and the yellowish - oily residue obtained is redissolved in a 5 % aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate ( 3 ml ). the solution is washed with petroleum ether ( 3 × 3 ml ) and the aqueous phase was acidified to a ph of 3 with a 1 n hydrochloric acid solution . the mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate ( 3 × 3 ml ). the organic phases were dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered and then evaporated under reduced pressure . the residue is dissolved in a mixture of hexane , ethyl acetate , and acetic acid ( 20 : 10 : 1 ) ( 3 ml ). it is subsequently purified by chromatography on a silica column . this produced 115 g ( 86 %) of the desired product ( r f = 0 . 49 ). 1 h nmr : ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ : 11 . 02 ( bs , 1h , co 2 h ), 7 . 08 ( d , 2h , j = 5 . 4 hz , ar — h ), 6 . 64 ( d , 2h , j = 5 . 4 hz , ar — h ), 4 . 97 ( d , 1h , j = 5 hz , nh ), 4 . 57 ( m , 1h , chco 2 h ), 3 . 72 - 3 . 59 ( m , 8h , ch 2 ch 2 cl ), 3 . 12 - 2 . 98 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ch ), 1 . 42 ( s , 9h , c ( ch 3 ) 3 ). [ fig1 ] 13 c nmr : ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ : 177 . 3 , 176 . 6155 . 4 , 144 . 9 , 130 . 7 , 112 . 3 , 80 . 2 , 54 . 4 , 53 . 6 , 40 . 3 , 28 . 3 , 20 . 8 . [ fig1 ] es - ms ( m z , %) ( positive mode ): calculated for mass c 18 h 26 cl 2 n 2 o 4 : 404 amu , found 405 . 1 . [ fig1 ] in step c , product b ( 0 . 20 mmol ), teg ( 0 . 09 mmol ), dmap ( 0 . 009 mmol ) were dissolved in dcm ( 2 ml ). to this stifling solution at 0 ° c . was added edc - hcl ( 0 . 22 mmol ) in dichloromethane ( 1 ml ) dropwise over 10 min . the resulting solution was stirred for 1 h at 0 ° c ., the cooling was removed , and the mixture was stirred for 3 days at ambient temperature . the progress of the reaction was monitored by thin layer chromatography . once complete disappearance of starting material was observed , the reaction solvent was removed under reduced atmosphere . the product was purified by column chromatography ( r f = 0 . 93 ) eluting with chloroform : methanol ( 9 : 1 ). this produced 0 . 8 g ( 73 %) of the desired product . 1 h nmr : ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ : 7 . 03 ( d , 4h , j = 5 . 4 hz , ar — h ), 6 . 64 ( d , 4h , j = 5 . 4 hz , ar — h ), 4 . 98 ( d , 2h , j = 5 . 0 hz , nh ), 4 . 55 ( m , 2h , chco 2 h ), 4 . 28 ( m , 4h , co 2 ch 2 ) 3 . 72 - 3 . 59 ( m , 24h , ch 2 ch 2 cl , och 2 ch 2 och 2 ), 3 . 06 - 2 . 95 ( m , 4h , ch 2 ch ), 1 . 42 ( s , 18h , c ( ch 3 ) 3 ). [ fig1 ] 13 c nmr : ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ : 177 . 3 , 171 . 9 , 155 . 0 , 144 . 6 , 130 . 7 , 112 . 5 , 79 . 8 , 70 . 6 , 69 . 0 , 64 . 3 , 54 . 4 , 53 . 7 , 40 . 2 , 37 . 1 , 28 . 3 . [ fig1 ] es - ms ( m / z , %) ( positive mode ): calculated for mass c 42 h 62 cl 4 n o 10 : 922 amu , found 923 . 2 . [ fig1 ] in step d , the purified product c ( 2 mmol ) was dissolved in chloroform containing one volume percent of water and 1 volume percent of trifluoroacetic acid . the reaction solution was stirred at room temperature for 2 hrs . white precipitates produced in the reaction were collected by filtration and purified by washing with chloroform . following washing product d , i . e . the biomonomer was dried in vacuum oven for 24 hours at a temperature of 40 ° c . thdi / pcl / norf is an example of pharmaceutically active polyurethane containing 15 % of drugs according to the invention . the conditions of synthesis for this reaction are as follows . 1 . 5 grams of pcl are reacted with 0 . 27 grams of thdi in the presence of 0 . 06 ml of the catalyst , dibutyltin dilaurate , in a nitrogen atmosphere with in dimethylsulfoxide ( dmso ) ( 10 ml ) for one hour . the reaction temperature is maintained between 60 - 70 ° c . 0 . 32 grams of norf - teg - norf is dissolved in 5 ml dmso was then added into reaction system . the reaction is keep at 60 - 70 ° c . for 5 hours and then at room temperature for overnight . reaction is finally stopped with 1 ml of methanol . the final drug polymer is precipitated in a mixture of ether / water ( 50 v / v %). the precipitated polymer is then dissolved in acetone and precipitated in ether again . this washing procedure is repeated three times . norfloxacin is the only component in the drug polymer which has a strong detectable absorbance at 280 nm in the uv range . hence , its presence can be detected using a uv detector . fig5 super - imposes the uv chromatogram for the drug polymer with its universal gel permeation chromatography ( gpc ) curves using a universal refractive index detector . similar data is shown for a ciprofioxacin polymer in fig6 . the latter detects the presence of all molecules because it has a dependence on mass of material present , eluting out of the gpc column at a specific time . hence , a comparison of the two signals shows that the distribution of norfloxacin is identical to the distribution of actual molecular weight chains , meaning that there was no preferential coupling of norfloxacin / ciprofloxacin to low versus high molecular weight chains or vice - versa ; implies that the coupling of norfloxacin / ciprofloxacin was uniform . ac / cipro is an example of pharmaceutically active polyamide containing antimicrobial drug ciprofloxacin according to the invention . it differs from example 1 in that it is not a polyurethane and shows the versatility for the use of the biomonomers in a range of step growth polymerizations . the conditions for this synthesis are a common polyamide interfacial polycondensation reaction . they are described as follows : a solution of 3 . 88 g ( 5 mmol ) of cipro - teg - cipro and 1 . 06 g ( 10 mmol ) of sodium carbonate in 30 ml of water was cooled in an ice bath for 15 min before addition of as the water phase to a 150 ml flask containing a stir bar . a organic solution containing 0 . 915 g of adipoyl chloride ( ac , 5 mmol ) in 20 ml of methylene chloride was added slowly into the water phase under vigorously stifling . the organic solution has been previously cooled in an ice bath for 15 min . immediately after addition of the organic phase , an additional 5 ml of methylene chloride was used to rinse the original acid chloride container and transfer the solvent to reaction flask . the polymerization medium was stirred at maximum speed for an additional 5 min . the resulting polymer was collected by filtration . the polymer was then washed with water for at least 3 times . it was then washed with acetone twice . the product was vacuum - dried at 40 ° c . for 24 hours . gamma irradiation is a popular and well - established process for sterilizing polymer - based medical devices ( 21 ). it has been known , however , that this technique can lead to significant alterations in the materials being treated . high - energy radiation produces ionization and excitation in polymer molecules . the stabilization process of the irradiated polymer results in physical and chemical cross - linking or chain scission , which occurs during , immediately after , or even days , weeks after irradiation . in this example , nf and cp polymers are dissolved in a suitable solvent such as chloroform at 10 %. the films are cast in a suitable holder such as teflon mold and placed in a 60 ° c . air flowing oven to dry . the dried films are sterilized by gamma radiation . the dose shall be capable of achieving the pre - selected sterility assurance level ( 22 ). one of two approaches shall be taken in selecting the sterilization dose : ( a ) selection of sterilization dose using either 1 ) bioburden information , or 2 ) information obtained by incremental dosing ; b ) selection of a sterilization dose of 25 kgy following substantiation of the appropriateness of this dose . each sample had twelve films ( n = 3 ) to be sterilized by gamma radiation . resultant chemical changes can be detected at different time points as follow : a ) no sterile ( 3 ); b ) immediately after irradiation ( 3 ); c ) two weeks after irradiation ( 3 ); d ) 1 month after irradiation ( 3 ). after gamma sterilization , the films are analyzed by gpc to detect the change in the number - averaged molecular weight ( mn ), weight - averaged molecular weight ( mw ), and polydispersity ( mw / mn ) of polymer chains before and after radiation . the results are listed in table 3 . it shows that no obvious physical and chemical changes happened to the drug polymers after radiation sterilization . this example shows the in vitro cytotoxicity of a non - bioactive control polymer , nf and cp polymers with mammalian cell lines using a direct contact method . in this method , 1 ml of polymer dmso solutions containing 1 mg / ml , 3 mg / ml and 5 mg / ml , respectively , of control or drug polymer is loaded on each millipore 0 . 45 μm filter that is set on top of agar in a petri dish . these dishes are then incubated at 37 ° c . in a humidified atmosphere of 5 % co 2 for 24 hours . after the solvent is diffused into agar , these filters with polymers loaded on it are transferred into a new petri dish containing solidified agar . hela cells are seeded onto these filters . the dishes are incubated at 37 ° c . in a humidified atmosphere of 5 % co 2 for 48 hours . cells are stained with succinic dehydrogenase staining buffer . the stained areas on the filters show the cytotoxicity of materials . fig7 show the scanned pictures of stained cells that are seeded on the filters loaded with different amounts of control , nf and cp polymers . there are no unstained areas in each filter . the results show that the control polymer and bioactive polymers have good biocompatibility with mammalian cells . nf polymer was used to evaluate the ability of a hydrolytic enzyme to degrade the material . and preferentially release drug . nf polymer was coated onto small glass cylinders , and then incubated in the presence and absence of hydrolytic enzyme ( i . e . cholesterol esterase ) for up to 10 weeks at 37 ° c . at each week interval the incubation solution was removed from nf polymer and fresh enzyme solution was added . the incubation solutions were assayed via high pressure liquid chromatography &# 39 ; ( hplc ). standard solutions of pure norfloxacin were run through an hplc system to get calibration curve of this system . norfloxacin concentration in the incubated solution was determined by comparison of drug peak area of incubation solution to calibration curve . fig8 shows the released norfloxacin from nf polymer in the presence and absence of cholesterol esterase . in the presence of ce , there is an obvious release of norfloxacin 10 weeks . however in the absence of ce , there only is some release of drug in the first 6 weeks and it is lower than that of the enzyme incubated samples throughout the experiment . the same nf polymer incubation solutions assayed via hplc were also evaluated for antimicrobial activity using a biological assay . a macro - dilution minimum inhibitory concentration ( mic ) assay was employed to determine the concentration of antimicrobial ( norfloxacin ) that would inhibit the growth of a pathogen often associated with device - related infections , pseudomonas aeruginosa . the mic for this organism and norfloxacin was determined to be 0 . 8 mu g / ml . incubation solutions from both enzyme and buffer control treatment of nf polymer were used in a biological assay matrix that was designed to estimate the concentration of norfloxacin as a function of incubation time and treatment . the data are presented in table 4 . anti - microbial activity was not detected in the nf polymer exposed to buffer ( control ) incubation solution after 2 weeks . however , the enzyme - treated nf polymers released clinically significant levels (& gt ; mic levels ) of antibiotic over a 10 week incubation period . these biological assay data show a significant correlation with the hplc data described above . the results of these experiments demonstrate that the antibiotic agent is released from nf polymer under enzymatic activation , and that the antibiotic has antimicrobial activity against a clinically significant bacterium . furthermore , clinically significant concentrations ( i . e ., mic level ) of the antibiotic are released over an extended period of time , 10 weeks . in vivo animal studies are performed on formed coupons made of control and cp polymer with a dimension of 1 × 2 cm 2 . the coupons were implanted in the peritoneal cavity of male rats . the coupons were explanted after rats were housed for 1 week . the experimental conditions according to the invention are as follows : for implantation , 5 male sprague - dawley rats ( 250 - 300 g ) were used for every group of experiment . after they were anesthetised , a 2 cm laparotomy incision was made in the abdomen . the omentum and gubernaculum tissues were resected as they tend to envelop the coupon . then either a control coupon or a cp coupon ( 1 × 2 cm 2 ) was implanted in the abdominal cavity . the incision was closed in two layers . after animals were housed for 1 week ( rats were monitored daily ), coupons were explanted from rats . gross observations were made including adhesion , abscess , inflammation , and encapsulation . it was found that no adhesion , abscess and inflammation associated with cp polymer coupons , but there was obvious adhesion , abscess and serious inflammation associated with implanted control polymer coupons . coupons were retrieved with sterile surgical instruments . a swab was taken of the peritoneal cavity . coupons were rinsed in pbs buffer to remove non - adherent cells and placed in sterile tubes for further bacteria culture . bacteria counts obtained from cultures of control and cp coupons are shown in fig9 . clearly , cp coupons show an antimicrobial effect , yielding significantly lower colony forming units ( cfus ). examples of biomedical articles that integrate the bioactive polymers to the polymers using described methods 1 , 2 , 3 below include , for example , the following articles that are in whole or in part made of polyurethane components , namely , cardiac assist devices , tissue engineering polymeric scaffolds and related devices , cardiac replacement devices , cardiac septal patches , intra aortic balloons , percutaneous cardiac assist devices , extra - corporeal circuits , a - v fistual , dialysis components ( tubing , filters , membranes , etc . ), aphoresis units , membrane oxygenator , cardiac by - pass components ( tubing , filters , etc . ), pericardial sacs , contact lens , cochlear ear implants , sutures , sewing rings , cannulas , contraceptives , syringes , o - rings , bladders , penile implants , drug delivery systems , drainage tubes , pacemaker lead insulators , heart valves , blood bags , coatings for implantable wires , catheters , vascular stents , angioplasty balloons and devices , bandages , heart massage cups , tracheal tubes , mammary implant coatings , artificial ducts , craniofacial and maxillofacial reconstruction applications , ligaments , fallopian tubes , biosensors and bio - diagnostic substrates . non - biomedical articles fabricated by hereinbefore method 1 ) include , for example , extruded health care products , bio - reactor catalysis beds or affinity chromatography column packings , or a biosensor and bio - diagnostic substrates . non - medical applications that are exemplified by method 2 ) include fibre membranes for water purification . non - medical applications of the type exemplified by method 3 ) include varnishes with biological function for aseptic surfaces . although this disclosure has described and illustrated certain preferred embodiments of the invention , it is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to those particular embodiments . rather , the invention includes all embodiments which are functional or mechanical equivalence of the specific embodiments and features that have been described and illustrated .
a pharmaceutically - active polymeric compound of the general formula , y - m - link b wherein x is a coupled biological coupling agent of the general formula bio - link a - bio wherein bio is a biologically active agent fragment or precursor thereof linked to link a through a hydrolysable covalent bond ; and link a is a coupled central flexible linear first segment of & lt ; 2000 theoretical molecular weight linked to each of said bio fragments ; y is link b - oligo ; wherein link b is a coupled second segment linking one oligo to another oligo and an oligo to x or precursor thereof ; and oligo is a short length of polymer segment having a molecular weight of less than 5 , 000 and comprising less than 100 monomeric repeating units ; m is 1 - 40 ; and n is selected from 2 - 50 . the compounds are useful as biomaterials , particularly , providing antibacterial activity in vivo . also provided are biological coupling agents useful as intermediates in the preparation of the pharmaceutically - active polymeric compounds .