The potential for poly‐α‐amino acids as biomaterials

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Abstract
Poly‐α‐amino acids have been investigated for possible use in a wide variety of biomedical applications. These range from dialysis membranes to artificial skin substitutes to degradable sutures. The large number of available α‐amino acids potentially provides an extremely large number of poly‐α‐amino acids. The majority of materials investigated to date are copolymers composed of two components, one of which usually provides the desired property for the given application.This paper deals with the further examination of a series of γ‐benzyl‐L‐glutamate‐L‐leucine copolymers. Evidence is provided on the effect of these copolymers on the biological environment as determined by implantation in rats up to 200 days. In vitro tests were also performed and the effect of these tests on the stress‐strain properties of one of the copolymers is presented.Preliminary evidence on biodegradable copolymer films is also included. These materials have free γ‐carboxyl groups on the glutamate components.
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