Tech Spotlight: Synthesis of Polymerizable Reactive Oxygen Species Antagonists to Reduce ROS Damage in Transplanted Medical Devices

Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are highly reactive moieties that can cause cellular damage on a broad scale. Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) is an enzyme that catalytically degrades highly the reactive radical O2- before it can cause damage. However, due to the instability of the SOD protein, SOD mimetics have been generated. Frequently, SODm are delivered in a soluble fashion, where the molecule can penetrate the cell to act intracellularly. However, this method of therapy may not impart any reduction in extracellularly generated O2- levels and continued administration of SODm is required for continued efficacy.

A University of Colorado research team led by Dr. Kristi Anseth has generated an acrylated SODm demonstrating SOD activity similar to that of the commercially available molecule on which it is based. This new molecule may be directly polymerized into hydrogel barrier systems that encapsulate pancreatic islet grafts (used in transplantation therapies for Type I Diabetes Mellitus) as well as into polymers utilized in drug-eluting stents to reduce inflammatory damage during blood vessel reperfusion in the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

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