New biologically active silver nanocomposites based on the copolymer of lup-20(29)-ene-3,28-diol 28-O-vinylbenzoate with N-vinylpyrrolidone were prepared by the borohydride method. The formation of spherical nanoparticles with a mean diameter of 67 nm was confi rmed by scanning electron microscopy. The synthesized copolymers and silver nanocomposites exhibit cytotoxic activity and show promise for the development of new materials for medical purposes.Polyfunctional macromolecular compounds exhibit high performance as polymer matrices stabilizing metal nanoparticles and preventing their aggregation. The presence of functional groups of comonomers in copolymers favors their effi cient interaction with metal nanoparticles in early steps of their formation, controlling their growth, size, aggregation, and distribution in the polymer matrix and ensuring synergism of unique properties of the polymer matrix and metal nanoparticles.It is known from the literature that the particle stability is strongly infl uenced by the nature of the nanostabilizing matrix [1,2]. Highly stable hydrosols with isolated silver nanoparticles were prepared using the following matrix materials: water-soluble poly-N-vinylpyrrolidone [2-4] and its copolymer [5], 1-vinyl-1,2,4-triazole homo-and copolymers [6,7], and 2,2-diallyl-1,1,3,3-tetraethylguanidinium chloride copolymers [8].Natural monomers and polymers are also used as nanostabilizing substances [9][10][11], and nanocomposites prepared with them exhibit a broad spectrum of biological activity.This study was aimed at synthesis of copolymers of betulin С-28 esters [lup-20(29)-ene-3,28-diol 28-О-vinylacetate (BVA) and 28-О-vinylbenzoate (BVB)] with N-vinylpyrrolidone and acrylonitrile in the bulk in the presence of a radical initiator, azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN), and at preparation of new water-soluble composites with silver nanoparticles stabilized with these triterpene-containing copolymers.
EXPERIMENTALBetulin was prepared by the procedures described in [12].Vinylacetic (VAA) and vinylbenzoic (VBA) acids (Lancaster) were used without additional purifi cation.N-Vinylpyrrolidone (VP) (Lancaster) was dried over KОН and vacuum-distilled; the fraction with bp 65°С/1.5 mmHg, n D 20 1.5117, was used. Vinyl acetate (VA) (Lancaster) was purifi ed by distillation; the fraction with bp 72°С, n D 20 1.3951, was used.Acrylonitrile (AN) (Alfa Aesar) was purifi ed by distillation; the fraction with bp 78°С, n D 20 1.3910, was used.BVA and BVB were prepared as described in [13]. A mixture of 0.5 g (0.11 mmol) of betulin, 1.8 g (0.9 mmol) of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC), 0.28 g