Lipid-containing plastics

Claim 2

A plastics material according to claim 1 wherein the polymer is selected from cellophane, cellulose acetate, polyolefins, fluorinated hydrocarbons, polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate, polymethylmethacrylate, poly(acrylamide), poly(acrylic acid), poly(acrylonitrile), polyamide resin, poly(1-butene), poly(1,4-butylene terephthalate), poly(butylmethacrylate), poly(tertbutylmethacrylate), poly(4-tertbutyl styrene), polycarbonate resin, poly(cyclohexylmethacrylate), poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide), poly(ethylene), poly(ethylene) chlorinated, poly(ethylene glycol), poly(ethylene oxide), poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(ethyl methacrylate), nylon, polyimide, poly(isobutyl methacrylate), poly(4-isopropyl styrene), poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(methyl styrene), poly(styrene), polysulfone resin, poly(tetrafluoro ethylene), poly(vinyl acetate), poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(vinyl butyral), poly(vinyl chloride), poly(vinyl formal), acrylate elastomers, chlorosulfonated polyethylene, pure natural rubber, polyurethanes, silicone rubber, polyethylmethacrylate, polyamides, polyethyleneterephthalate, silk, polymonochloro-p-xylylene, epoxy resin, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylalcohol, and polyvinylidenechloride, mixtures thereof and copolymers comprising repeating units of at least one such polymer.

Claim 3

A plastics material according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the polymer is an elastomer.

Claim 4

A plastics material according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the polymer is a thermosetting plastic.

Claim 5

A plastics material according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the lipid is a phospholipid, sphingolipid or glycolipid, or cholesterol or a cholesterol ester.

Claim 6

A plastics material according to claim 5 wherein the lipid is a phosphatidylcholine, platelet activating factor, phospholipid antithromboplastin, cerebroside sulphate, bovine brain cephalin, or a soybean phosphatide or phosphatidylinositol lipid, phosphatidylserine, synthetic phosphatidic acid, phosphatidyl glycerol or a α-lysophosphatidylcholine, α₋lysophosphatidylethanolamine, α-lysophosphatidylinositol, α-lysophosphatidylserine, α-phosphatidic acid, α-phosphatidylcholine, α-phosphatidylethanolamine α-phosphatidylglycerol, α-phosphatidylinositol, α-phosphatidylserine, 1-0-alkyl-2-acteyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine, ceramide, ganglioside, glucocerebroside, sphingomyelin, phytosphingosine, psychosine, sphingosine, sphingosylphosphorylcholine or sulfatide.

Claim 7

A plastics material according to any one of claims 1 to 6 comprising up to 30% by weight of the weight of the polymer of a lipid.

Claim 8

A plastics material according to any one of claims 1 to 7 comprising at least 0.01% by weight of the weight of the polymer of a lipid.

Claim 9

A plastics material according to any of claims 1 to 8 wherein the lipid is the sole plasticiser present in the plastics material.

Claim 10

A shaped article formed from a plastics material according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Claim 11

A process for producing a plastics material according to any one of claims 1 to 9 comprising (a) bringing into association a polymer and a lipid plasticiser therefor, or (b) polymerising a monomer in the presence of a lipid plasticiser and where necessary to form a thermosetting plastic, cross-linking the plasticised polymer formed in step (a) or step (b).

Claim 12

A process for modifying the physical properties of a thermosetting or elastomeric plastic material comprising bringing the plastic into contact with a lipid plasticiser therefor and permitting the lipid to penetrate into the plastic material.

Claim 13

A plastics material according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or an article according to claim 10 for use in a method of treatment of the human or animal body by surgery or therapy or in a diagnostic method practised on the human or animal body.

Claim 14

Use in the production of an article or medicament for use in the treatment of the human or animal body by surgery or therapy or in a diagnostic method practised on the human or animal body, of a plastics material according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or an article according to claim 10.