Future and the past of polymeric antioxidants

Abstract Hybrid macromolecular antioxidants has evolved into a mature research field last three decades. The main concept of this area was to design polymer conjugates that combine in one structure the hydrophilic properties of a polymer backbone and biological efficiency of hydrophobic antioxidants. Over the years, the understanding of different aspects of such approach has grown. In general, meticulous selection of each component is essential to obtain the conjugate with required properties. This review overview a plethora of hybrid macromolecular antioxidants synthesized over the last 20 years, together with the discussion their physicochemical properties and application for biomedical purposes.