Polymers and sulfur: What are organic polysulfides good for? Preparative strategies and biological applications

Sulfur(II)-containing polymers (polysulfides) combine flexible synthetic and processing techniques with a unique responsiveness to oxidants. Here, the polysulfide oxidative sensitivity is put into the biological context of the development of new anti-inflammatory therapies - the development of new anti-inflammatory methodologies, adopted interactions and the minimisation of foreign-body reactions - through the review of 50 years of research on polysulfide synthetic methodologies. Attention is paid to the identification of the most flexible and robust preparative techniques. © 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.