不同形式壳聚糖基水凝胶的微观结构与控释性能对比

本文采用离子交联和巯基化两种不同方式改性壳聚糖,制备载有活性蛋白的壳聚糖水凝胶。通过红外光谱、粒径/zeta电位分析、透射电镜、扫描电镜、模拟消化实验等手段,探讨了其微观结构和控释性能。实验结果发现,由于分子间氢键作用,p H值、CS:TPP质量比以及BSA浓度等对交联壳聚糖水凝胶的蛋白包载率影响明显,而由于巯基的引入,使得巯基化壳聚糖水凝胶在酸性环境下具有较小的粒径(平均409.61 nm)和较低的表面电势(平均-0.67 mV)。壳聚糖基材料微观结构的变化进而影响其水凝胶的控释性能。模拟消化实验显示,交联壳聚糖水凝胶在模拟胃液中出现突释现象,在运送至结肠前,已有44.76%的活性蛋白释放,而巯基化壳聚糖水凝胶在模拟上消化道环境中释放缓慢,仅有8.42%的活性蛋白释放,运转至模拟结肠,活性蛋白释放速度逐渐增加,呈现持续释放的效果,约有34.53%的BSA逐渐释放在结肠中。因此,巯基化壳聚糖基水凝胶具有更好的控释性能,这对活性蛋白的生物利用改善具有重要作用。     

Preparation and Properties of Nano-cellulose/Sodium Alginate Composite Hydrogel

Cellulose nanofiber (CNF) was isolated from Okara using deep eutectic solvent (DES) with high-speed stirring. The composite hydrogels obtained by using different proportions of CNF and sodium alginate (SA) had different properties. The CNF/SA composite hydrogels were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy and tested for compression properties, rheological properties, water content, and swelling degree. Physical crosslinking between SA and Ca²⁺, and different degrees of hydrogen bond formation between SA and CNF were observed. The CNF/SA composite hydrogel have great potential as reinforcements in eco-friendly composite hydrogels for diverse applications.     

菠萝果肉纤维素水凝胶的制备及对益生菌的包埋与缓释分析

以菠萝果肉纤维素(pineapple pulp cellulose,PPC)为原料,利用离子液体1-丁基-3-甲基咪唑氯盐(1-butyl-3-methylimidazole chloride,BmimCl)作溶剂,溶解PPC制备菠萝果肉纤维素水凝胶(pineapple pulp cellulose hydrogel,...     

黏均分子质量对O-羧甲基壳聚糖/海藻酸钠微球溶胀性能、稳定性及微观结构的影响

O-羧甲基壳聚糖(OCC)与海藻酸钠(SAL)形成的水凝胶微球,在肠道靶向传输过程中具有很大的应用潜力。将不同的OCC与SAL混合后滴入Ca Cl2溶液中制备微球,研究OCC黏均分子质量对OCC/SAL微球在p H 1.2,p H 6.8和p H 7.4溶液中溶胀性的影响。采用扫描电子显微镜分析微球的微观结构。结果表明:OCC黏均分子质量对OCC/SAL微球在p H 1.2溶液中的溶胀性和稳定性无显著影响,而对其在p H 6.8和p H 7.4溶液中的溶胀差异、稳定性和微观结构有重要影响,并且该影响与OCC的取代度有密切关系。当OCC取代度为0.9时,OCC的黏均分子质量对OCC/SAL水凝胶微球在不同p H条件下的溶胀性能均无显著影响,而显著影响水凝胶的稳定性。OCC的黏均分子质量越小,水凝胶在中性及弱碱性条件下的稳定性越差。当OCC取代度为0.83时微球的稳定性也有相似的变化规律,而对其在p H 6.8和p H 7.4溶液中的溶胀性有显著影响,即溶胀率随着黏均分子质量的增加而降低。当取代度为0.53时,OCC/SAL微球在p H 6.8和p H 7.4溶液中的溶胀率随着OCC黏均分子质量的增加而增加,且高黏均分子质量OCC/SAL水凝胶微球在p H 6.8和p H 7.4溶液中均未被观察到裂解,而低分子质量OCC与SAL形成的微球在p H 6.8和p H 7.4溶液中均发生了裂解。扫描电子显微镜分析表明,OCC的黏均分子质量越大,微球表面的凸起越明显,而且聚集很多纳米级的小微球。     

Protein deposition on contact lenses: The past, the present, and the future

Proteins are a key component in body fluids and adhere to most biomaterials within seconds of their exposure. The tear film consists of more than 400 different proteins, ranging in size from 10 to 2360 kDa, with a net charge of pH 1-11. Protein deposition rates on poly-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (pHEMA) and silicone hydrogel soft contact lenses have been determined using a number of ex vivo and in vitro experiments. Ionic, high water pHEMA-based lenses attract the highest amount of tear film protein (1300 μg/lens), due to an electrostatic attraction between the material and positively charged lysozyme. All other types of pHEMA-based lenses deposit typically less than 100 μg/lens. Silicone hydrogel lenses attract less protein than pHEMA-based materials, with <10 μg/lens for non-ionic and up to 34 μg/lens for ionic materials. Despite the low protein rates on silicone hydrogel lenses, the percentage of denatured protein is typically higher than that seen on pHEMA-based lenses. Newer approaches incorporating phosphorylcholine, polyethers or hyaluronic acid into potential contact lens materials result in reduced protein deposition rates compared to current lens materials.     

Development of hydrogel patch for controlled release of alpha-hydroxy acid contained in tamarind fruit pulp extract

Synopsis The aim of this study was to develop hydrogel patch using crosslinked chitosan-starch as polymeric matrix for controlling the release of the natural alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) contained in the extract of tamarind's fruit pulp. The chitosan (MW 100 000) was blended with corn, tapioca or rice starch in various ratios and then crosslinked with glutaraldehyde. The physical characteristics, mechanical resistance, bio-adhesion property and surface morphology of the prepared hydrogel patches with and without the extract were investigated. The release patterns of the hydrogel patches containing the extract were investigated by measuring the amount of tartaric acid, a major AHA present in the tamarind's fruit pulp extract, accumulated in the receptor medium of the vertical diffusion cell at various time intervals over a period of 6 h. The results indicated that the formulations of chitosan : corn starch 4.5 : 0.5 with glutaraldehyde 0.02% w/w (C(4.5)C(0.5)G(0.02)) or 0.04% w/w (C(4.5)C(0.5)G(0.04)), chitosan : tapioca starch 4.5 : 0.5 with glutaraldehyde 0.04% w/w (C(4.5)T(0.5)G(0.04)) or 0.05% w/w (C(4.5)T(0.5)G(0.05)), and chitosan : rice starch 4.5 : 0.5 with glutaraldehyde 0.04% w/w (C(4.5)R(0.5)G(0.04)) and chitosan : rice starch 4.0 : 1.0 with glutaraldehyde 0.03% w/w (C(4.0)R(1.0)G(0.03)) provided the flexible and elastic patches with good bio-adhesive property. The tensile strength values ranged from 5 to15 N mm(-2) and the elasticity ranged from 30 to 60%. The addition of the extract in these formulations significantly increased the tensile strength values of the obtained patches. The patch of C(4.0)R(1.0)G(0.03) formulation containing the extract showed relatively highest porosity, corresponding to its highest amount (12.02 +/- 0.33 mg) and rate (0.452 +/- 0.012 mg mm(-2) min(-1/2)) of tartaric acid released. The amounts of tartaric acid released from the developed hydrogel patches were proportional to a square root of time (Higuchi's model), particularly the release from C(4.0)R(1.0)G(0.03) (R(2), 0.9978 +/- 0.0020) and C(4.5)R(0.5)G(0.04) (R(2), 0.9961 +/- 0.0024) patches.     

The effect of lens wear on refractive index of conventional hydrogel and silicone-hydrogel contact lenses: a comparative study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this work was to evaluate the ability of four silicone-hydrogel contact lenses (galyfilcon A, balafilcon A, lotrafilcon A and lotrafilcon B) to retain their equilibrium water content before and after wear, through measurements of refractive index and compare with that of a conventional disposable hydrogel contact lens (etafilcon A). METHODS: The refractive indices of 115 contact lenses were measured using an automated refractometer (CLR 12-70, Index Instruments, Cambridge, U.K.) before and after a schedule of daily wear by 58 patients for 30 days in the case of silicone-hydrogel lenses and 15 days for the conventional contact lenses. RESULTS: In the silicone-hydrogel contact lenses the changes on the refractive indices were not statistically significant, however after being worn the refractive index of the conventional etalfilcon A hydrogel contact lens increased significantly (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The results presented here show that after being worn the silicone-hydrogel contact lens, show more capacity to retain or to reach their initial equilibrium water content than conventional hydrogel contact lenses. This suggests that the silicone-hydrogel contact lenses are less susceptible to spoilation over time maintaining its biocompatibility and contributing to the clinical success of lens performance.     

An Innovative Customized Biomimetic Hydrogel for Drug Screening Application Potential: Biocompatibility and Cell Invasion Ability

The ability of Pluronic F127 (PF127) conjugated with tetrapeptide Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp (GRGD) as a sequence of Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptide to form the investigated potential hydrogel (hereafter referred to as 3DG bioformer (3BE)) to produce spheroid, biocompatibility, and cell invasion ability, was assessed in this study. The fibroblast cell line (NIH 3T3), osteoblast cell line (MG-63), and human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) were cultured in the 3BE hydrogel and commercial product (Matrigel) for comparison. The morphology of spheroid formation was evaluated via optical microscopy. The cell viability was observed through cell counting Kit-8 assay, and cell invasion was investigated via Boyden chamber assay. Analytical results indicated that 3BE exhibited lower spheroid formation than Matrigel. However, the 3BE appeared biocompatible to NIH 3T3, MG-63, and MCF-7 cells. Moreover, cell invasion ability and cell survival rate after invasion through the 3BE was displayed to be comparable to Matrigel. Thus, these findings demonstrate that the 3BE hydrogel has a great potential as an alternative to a three-dimensional cell culture for drug screening applications.     

Silk Sericin Enrichment through Electrodeposition and Carbonous Materials for the Removal of Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solution

The recycling and reuse of biomass waste for the preparation of carbon-based adsorbents is a sustainable development strategy that has a positive environmental impact. It is well known that a large amount of silk sericin (SS) is dissolved in the wastewater from the silk industry. Utilizing the SS instead of discharging it into the environment without further treatment would reduce environmental and ecological problems. However, effective enrichment of the SS from the aqueous solution is a challenge. Here, with the help of carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS), which can form a gel structure under low voltage, an SS/CMCS hydrogel with SS as the major component was prepared via electrodeposition at a 3 V direct-current (DC) voltage for five minutes. Following a carbonization process, an SS-based adsorbent with good performance for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from an aqueous solution was prepared. Our results reveal that the SS/CMCS hydrogel maintains a porous architecture before and after carbonization. Such structure provides abundant adsorption sites facilitating the adsorption of MB molecules, with a maximum adsorptive capacity of 231.79 mg/g. In addition, it suggests that the adsorption is an exothermic process, has a good fit with the Langmuir model, and follows the intra-particle diffusion model. The presented work provides an economical and feasible path for the treatment of wastewater from dyeing and printing.     

Transdermal Delivery of Indirubin-Loaded Microemulsion Gel: Preparation,Characterization and Anti-Psoriatic Activity

Psoriasis is an immune disease caused by rapid and incomplete differentiation of skin basal cells. Natural products such as indirubin have historically served as excellent sources for the treatments of psoriasis. However, the poor solubility and bioavailability due to its plane and rigid crystal structure, which limits its efficacy. Herein, to improve the efficacy of indirubin, a hydrogel-based microemulsion drug delivery system was developed for transdermal delivery. The mean droplet size of the optimized microemulsion was 84.37 nm, with a polydispersity index (PDI) less than 0.2 and zeta potential value of 0~−20 mV. The transdermal flux and skin retention of indirubin at 24 h were 47.34 ± 3.59 μg/cm² and 8.77 ± 1.26 μg/cm², respectively. The optimized microemulsion was dispersed in carbomer 934 hydrogel to increase the consistency. The indirubin-loaded microemulsion gel was tested on an imiquimod-induced psoriasis mouse model. Results showed that this preparation can improve psoriasis symptoms by down-regulating the expression of IL-17A, Ki67, and CD4⁺T. This experiment provides great scalability for researchers to treat psoriasis, avoid first-pass effects, and increase the concentration of targeted drugs.