Mathematical modelling of protein diffusion in microcapsules: A comparison with experimental results

The objective of this study was to develop a general diffusion model for describing mass transport phenomena and membrane diffusivities in alginate—polylysine (PLL) microcapsules. Good agreement between calculated and experimental protein concentration profiles was obtained based on a microcapsule model, consisting of a capsule membrane containing a partially impermeable alginate gel core with a decreasing gel pore size towards the centre of the capsule. The apparent size of the impermeable gel core and the capsule membrane permeability were directly dependent on the size of the diffusing protein and the alginate-PLL reaction time. The presence of this impermeable core may hinder the commercial and clinical use of these microcapsules in cell culture engineering and cell transplantation by affecting cell viability.