Abstract

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF POLYETHERS FROM ISOMANNIDE AND GROUP 4 METALLOCENE DICHLORIDES AND THEIR ABILITY TO INHIBIT HUMAN CANCER CELLS

Charles E. Carraher, Jr., Michael R. Roner, Tiasha Arnold, Kimberly Shahi, Paul Slawek, Francesca Mosca and Jessica Frank

Abstract

Polymers were formed in moderate yield and chain length from the interfacial polymerization of isomannide and Group 4 metallocene dichlorides. The products were synthesized from commercially available materials, so reproduction should be straight forward. The polymers were structurally characterized employing IR and NMR spectroscopy, MALDI MS and light scattering for chain length determination. The polymers showed good inhibition of a battery of human cancer cell lines including two breast and two pancreatic cancer cell lines with excellent ability to differentiate between the healthy cells and cancer cells. The polymers spontaneously formed flexible fibers with aspect ratios of over 1000.

Keywords: isomannide, Group 4 metallocene polymers, titanocene polymers, zirconium polymers, hafnocene polymers, spontaneous fiber formation, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, MALDI MS, interfacial polymerization.