Examining the Impact of Squaric Acid as a Crosslinking Agent on the Properties of Chitosan-Based Films

Hydrogels based on chitosan are very versatile materials which can be used for tissue engineering as well as in controlled drug delivery systems. One of the methods for obtaining a chitosan-based hydrogel is crosslinking by applying different components. The objective of the present study was to obtain a series of new crosslinked chitosan-based films by means of solvent casting method. Squaric acid—3,4-dihydroxy-3-cyclobutene-1,2-dione—was used as a safe crosslinking agent. The effect of the squaric acid on the structural, mechanical, thermal, and swelling properties of the formed films was determined. It was established that the addition of the squaric acid significantly improved Young’s modulus, tensile strength, and thermal stability of the obtained materials. Moreover, it should be stressed that the samples consisting of chitosan and squaric acid were characterized by a higher swelling than pure chitosan. The detailed characterization proved that squaric acid could be used as a new effective crosslinking agent.     

Preparation of magnetic zeolite/chitosan composite using silane as modifier for adsorption of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions

This study aimed to prepare an efficient, cost-effective, and separable magnetic zeolite/chitosan composite (MZFA/CS) adsorbent from solid waste to deal with the water pollution of Cr(VI). The MZFA/CS was characterized by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) techniques. Then, the effect of pH, temperature, initial concentration of Cr(VI) ions, and contact time was considered in the study. For a sorbent dose of 0.1 g in 50 mL of a Cr(VI) solution, at a contact time of 30 min, temperature of 30°C, and a pH of 3, an adsorption capacity (q_e) of 16.96 mg g⁻¹ was achieved. Adsorption kinetics and isotherm data obtained for all adsorption systems were well-fitted by pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models, respectively. The thermodynamic study suggested that the adsorption process is spontaneous and endothermic in nature. In summary, the adsorbent with better separability (Ms = 16.83 emu g⁻¹) and adsorbability was successfully fabricated.     

壳聚糖基固体酸催化果糖合成5-羟甲基糠醛

以壳聚糖为原料,采用一步水热碳化和磺化法合成壳聚糖基固体酸材料(CASA),并将其用于催化无溶剂条件下果糖脱水合成5-羟甲基糠醛(5-HMF),考察了催化剂用量、反应温度、反应时间及催化剂循环利用次数对脱水反应的影响,并与甲壳素基固体酸材料(CISA)进行了催化性能比较。采用X射线衍射、扫描电镜、吡啶吸附红外光谱对CASA材料进行了结构和酸性质表征,建立了催化剂结构与性能的关系。结果表明,CASA材料含有大量的表面强Br?nsted酸性位点,因而其催化性能较CISA突出;当m(果糖)∶m(CASA)=6∶1、120℃反应5 h时,5-HMF的收率高达63.2%,且CASA可重复利用4次而无明显失活。     

海藻酸钠/壳聚糖微囊的研究进展

海藻酸钠(sodium alginate,SA)是从褐藻或海藻中提取出来的聚阴离子电解质;壳聚糖(chitosan,CS)是通过甲壳素脱乙酰化获得的聚阳离子电解质。这两种物质都具有优异的生物相容性、良好的生物可降解性、抗菌性和伤口愈合活性。介绍了海藻酸钠/壳聚糖微囊的生物特性,制备方法及其在医学领域中的应用,并对其应用前景进行展望。     

Methods for correction of selectivity of N-(2-sulfoethyl)chitosan-based materials towards platinum(IV) and palladium(II) ions

In this paper, we report methods for correction of selectivity of sorbents based on N-(2-sulfoethyl)chitosan towards platinum(IV) and palladium(II) in HCl solutions. The common method for correction of selectivity of the sorbents is variation of their modification degree with complexing groups. An increase in the degree of sulfoethylation of the chitosan leads to the significant increase in selectivity of sorption of palladium(II) over platinum(IV). Application of the N-(2-sulfoethyl)chitosan with the highest degree of sulfoethylation allows for selective separation palladium(II) from platinum(IV) (рН = 5.0). Palladium is quantitatively desorbed from the surface of the N-(2-sulfoethyl)chitosans by 3.5 mol/dm³ solution of HCl.     

基于壳聚糖纳米粒子载药体系的制备与应用研究进展

壳聚糖纳米粒子载药体系因其天然无毒、生物相容性高、可生物降解等特点，在生物医学、化工和食品等领域有广阔的应用前景。本文对制备壳聚糖纳米粒子的离子交联法、聚电解质复合法、乳化交联法、喷雾干燥法和溶剂蒸发法等主要方法进行了综述，并阐述了其制备原理和优缺点。此外，本文结合国内外学者近期的研究工作，综述了壳聚糖纳米粒子载药体系在抗肿瘤药物和抑菌药物方面的应用研究进展，并对壳聚糖装载降糖药物、降脂药物、治疗骨质疏松药物和抗癫痫药物应用进行了简介。最后结合壳聚糖纳米载药体系在制备方法及应用中存在的实际问题，提出多学科研究相结合，开发壳聚糖纳米载药体系的智能控释、靶向递送功能和突破人体特殊生物屏障功能将是其近期的重点研究方向。     

Biomimetic Lamellar Chitosan Scaffold for Soft Gingival Tissue Regeneration

Mucogingival surgery has become a common procedure for soft gingival tissue reparation in dental clinical practice, which mainly relies on autograft or commercial collagen membranes (CM). However, the autograft faces grand challenges in source availability and long-term post-surgery pain management, and the CM is restricted by its poor mechanical properties in an aqueous environment. Here, it is reported that a bio-inspired lamellar chitosan scaffold (LCS) with long range ordered porous structure, manufactured through a bidirectional freezing method, can serve as a promising gingival tissue engineering material. The LCS not only exhibits excellent mechanical properties in the hydrated state but also accelerates vessel formation and soft tissue regeneration in vivo. Most interestingly, the LCS is found to be capable of inducing macrophage differentiation to M2 macrophages, which is thought to play an important role in tissue regeneration. These advantages combined with its easy and low-cost preparation process make the LCS a promising candidate for dental clinical applications.     

Influence of Glycerophosphate Salt Solubility on the Gelation Mechanism of Colloidal Chitosan Systems

Recently, thermosensitive chitosan systems have attracted the interest of many researchers due to their growing application potential. Nevertheless, the mechanism of the sol-gel phase transition is still being discussed, and the glycerophosphate salt role is ambiguous. The aim of the work is to analyze the possibility of the exclusive use of a non-sodium glycerophosphate salt and to determine its impact on the gelation conditions determined by rheological and turbidimetric measurements as well as the stability of the systems by measuring changes in the Zeta potential value. It was found that ensuring the same proportions of glycerophosphate ions differing in cation to amino groups present in chitosan chains, leads to obtaining systems significantly different in viscoelastic properties and phase transition conditions. It was clearly shown that the systems with the calcium glycerophosphate, the insoluble form of which may constitute additional aggregation nuclei, undergo the gelation the fastest. The use of magnesium glycerophosphate salt delays the gelation due to the heat-induced dissolution of the salt. Thus, it was unequivocally demonstrated that the formulation of the gelation mechanism of thermosensitive chitosan systems based solely on the concentration of glycerophosphate without discussing its type is incorrect.     

Development and in vitro characterization of chitosan-coated polymeric nanoparticles for oral delivery and sustained release of the immunosuppressant drug mycophenolate mofetil

Objective: To develop an oral sustained release formulation of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) for once-daily dosing, using chitosan-coated polylactic acid (PLA) or poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanoparticles. The role of polymer molecular weight (MW) and drug to polymer ratio in encapsulation efficiency (EE) and release from the nanoparticles was explored in vitro.

Methods: Nanoparticles were prepared by a single emulsion solvent evaporation method where MMF was encapsulated with PLGA or PLA at various polymer MW and drug: polymer ratios. Subsequently, chitosan was added to create coated cationic particles, also at several chitosan MW grades and drug: polymer ratios. All the formulations were evaluated for mean diameter and polydispersity, EE as well as in vitro drug release. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), surface morphology, and in vitro mucin binding of the nanoparticles were performed for further characterization.

Results: Two lead formulations comprise MMF: high MW, PLA: medium MW chitosan 1:7:7 (w/w/w), and MMF: high MW, PLGA: high MW chitosan 1:7:7 (w/w/w), which had high EE (94.34% and 75.44%, respectively) and sustained drug release over 12?h with a minimal burst phase. DSC experiments revealed an amorphous form of MMF in the nanoparticle formulations. The surface morphology of the MMF NP showed spherical nanoparticles with minimal visible porosity. The potential for mucoadhesiveness was assessed by changes in zeta potential after incubation of the nanoparticles in mucin.

Conclusion: Two chitosan-coated nanoparticles formulations of MMF had high EE and a desirable sustained drug release profile in the effort to design a once-daily dosage form for MMF.