| abstract |
According to the present invention there is provided a polymer comprising at least one antiseptic/analgesic/anti-inflammatory monomeric unit in conjunction with at least three further monomeric units, said three further monomeric units eliciting properties selected from the group consisting of: temperature activation, water solubility, mechanical strength, protein/polysaccharide bonding capacity, and combinations thereof. In particular, disclosed herein is a polymer, wherein: the water- soluble monomeric unit is a hydrophilic ethylene glycol (OEGMA) moiety; the mechanical strength-conferring monomeric unit is polylactide-co-2-hydroxy- ethylmethyl acrylate (PLA/HEMA); the protein-reactive monomeric unit is an N- acryloxysuccinimide (NAS) moiety; and the thermosetting monomeric unit is an N- isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAAm) moiety. The antiseptic/analgesic/anti-inflammatory monomeric unit comprises a methacrylic ester derivative of salicylic acid (5-HMA or 4-HMA, or a combination thereof). |