Vitamin C Functionalized Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) for Free Radical Scavenging

Abstract In the present work, a strategy was developed to use mild and highly selective enzymatic methods to covalently couple the primary hydroxyl group of vitamin C with methyl methacrylate monomer, followed by a second enzymatic reaction catalyzed by horseradish peroxidase to polymerize the vinyl monomer yielding a vitamin C functionalized poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). Vitamin C, L‐ascorbyl methylmethacrylate and PMMA, when used at concentrations up to 133 µM, fully scavenged 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picryl hydrazyl free radicals (0.2 mM). Thus, the formation of vinyl polymers with active pendent antioxidant compounds, in this case vitamin C, retained an ability to scavenge radicals while in polymeric form. The functionalized antioxidant on a PMMA backbone has implications for consumer‐related applications like foods, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products.