N n dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate

Ficin (F4165) from Ficus latex purchased by Sigma, Burlington, MA, USA was used as the research object. Azocasein and N-benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide (BAPNA) supplied by Sigma Aldrich, Munich, Germany, were used as a hydrolysis substrate in the catalytic activity evaluation assays. Carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt with M_w ~90 kDa and degree of substitution of 0.7 (Sigma Aldrich, Munich, Germany) was used as a carrier and in the graft copolymer synthesis. These products were utilized without any purification. N,N-dimethyl amino ethyl methacrylate (Sigma Aldrich, Munich, Germany) was previously distilled in a vacuum (T_b  =  62–65 °C/11 mm Hg; n²⁰_D = 1.4395) before the carrier synthesis.

N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM), N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) and N,N’-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) were purchased from Sigma. Lignin (as Kraft lignin) and brominated lignin (i.e. α-bromoisobutyrylated lignin) (BrL) were prepared in polymer reaction engineering lab from Faculty of Chemical Engineering (Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran) using a procedure reported in the literature³² . All solvents were prepared as pure laboratory grade. Basic alumina (Al₂O₃) purchased from Sigma. N,N,N′,N′′,N′′-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA), Cu(I)Br (98%) were prepared from Sigma. It should be noted that PMDETA was purified by passing through a neutral alumina column before use. Cu(I)Br (98%) was purified by stirring in glacial acetic acid overnight, filtering, and washing with dry ethanol. Dimethylformamide (DMF), acetone, and n-hexane were prepared from Mojallali company (Tehran. Iran). Dialysis membrane with 6–8 kDa (cut-off) was purchased from SpectrumLabs Company (San Francisco, USA). Deionized water was used in all the experiments. Curcumin (CUR) was prepared from Nano Daroo Alborz company (Tehran, Iran). MTT powder was prepared from Sigma. The Hella cell line has also purchased from Pasteur Institute Iran cell bank (Tehran, Iran).