Biopolymers are a group of various proteins, nucleotides, fats, and polysaccharides that are produced in many organisms during metabolism. They are useful mainly because of their low cost, their renewability and, in particular, their biodegradability and biocompatibility. The latter two properties make them promising in the fields of medicine and pharmacy. Many biopolymers can be used to prepare hydrogels, i.e. cross-linked three-dimensional structures that are able to absorb water and swell without losing their structure. The use of hydrogels covers many fields and applications, among which the use in pharmaceuticals as carriers for (controlled) drug release stands out.
In this master thesis, alginate and TEMPO-oxidised nanocellulose hydrogels were prepared in order to determine the influence of adsorption on protein release from both hydrogels. In the first part, the two biopolymer solutions were cross-linked in the form of beads by calcium ions. The protein lysozyme was then adsorbed on it in the presence of different concentrations of sodium chloride in the adsorption medium. The protein concentrations were determined by measuring the absorbance at 280 nm at various times. From the concentrations obtained, the adsorption capacities and adsorption rate constants were determined using a pseudo-first order model. Then, two new biopolymer solutions were prepared to which a known amount of protein was added. This time, the two solutions were cross-linked, again with calcium ions, in capsules which allow the protein to be released from the hydrogel through their side surfaces. The release was conducted in media with different concentrations of sodium chloride and the amount of protein released was also determined by measuring the absorbance at 280 nm. The experimental results show a decrease in the adsorption capacity of the biopolymers and an increase in the pseudo-first order rate constant with increasing salt concentration in the adsorption medium. From the results of the release tests, a correlation between the adsorption of the protein on the hydrogel and the release of the protein from the hydrogel can be seen.
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