BIOLOGICAL-ACTIVITY OF MALEIC-ANHYDRIDE COPOLYMERS .1. BIOCOMPATIBILITY AND ANTITUMORAL EFFECTS OF MALEIC ANHYDRIDE-VINYL ACETATE, MALEIC ANHYDRIDE-METHYL METHACRYLATE AND MALEIC ANHYDRIDE-STYRENE COPOLYMERS

A series of maleic anhydride (MA)-vinyl acetate (VA), MA-methyl methac rylate (MM), and MA-styrene (S) copolymers were prepared and character ized. On employing various amounts of initiator, maleic anhydride-viny l acetate, methyl methacrylate, and styrene copolymers with molecular weights ranging between 18000 and 200000 have been obtained. The in vi vo and in vitro tests performed on K-562 cellular cultures (human chro nic myeloid leukaemia) have shown that, as a function of the molecular weight, the synthesized copolymers demonstrate a 50% in vitro cytotox icity and an average tumour regression of maximum 68%.