Preparation and characterization of eco-friendly poly(p-phenylenediamine) and its composite with chitosan for removal of copper ions from aqueous solutions

Poly(p-phenylenediamine)/chitosan (PPPDA/Chi) composite was prepared by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of p-phenylenediamine (PPPDA) into chitosan (Chi) using ammonium persulphate (APS) as an oxidant. PPPDA and PPPDA/Chi composite were characterized by FT-IR spectra and SEM before and after copper loading. In batch adsorption method, the maximum removal of copper was experienced when 1 g/L of PPPDA and PPPDA/Chi composite dosages were used at pH 5.0 for PPPDA and 6.0 for PPPDA/Chi composite for 360 min for both sorbents. PPPDA showed adsorption capacity qemax of 650 mg/g whereas its composite achieved qemax of 573 mg/g. The experimental data correlate well with the Freundlich isotherm equation and the pseudo-second order kinetic model. The Cu(II), loaded PPPDA and its composite can be efficiently reused for as many as four cycles. The Cu(II)-loaded sorbents showed high antibacterial efficiency against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria than their unloaded forms.

Alkylpolyglycoside inducing poly (butylene terephthalate) non-woven graft copolymerization of chitosan

In order to improve the wettability and biocompatibility of the poly （butylene terephthalate） non-woven （PBTNW）, the method of surface modification is used to graft copolymerization of chitosan （CS） onto the PBTNW under alkylpolyglycoside （APG） inducing. The product is thoroughly characterized with the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FrIR）, the electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis （ESCA）, the thermogravimetric （TG） and the scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. It is found that chitosan is successfully grafted onto PBTNW. In addition, the water contact angles, hemolysis tests and cytotoxicity evaluation tests show an improvement in wettability and biocompatihility as a result of graft copolymerization of chitosan. So the CS-grafted PBTNW exhibits greater superiority than the original PBTNW. The CS-grafted PBTNW can be a candidate for blood filter materials and other medical applications.

THE STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF CHITOSAN/POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL/SILICA TERNARY HYBRID ORGANIC-INORGANIC FILMS

The ternary hybrid films consisting of chitosan(CS),polyethylene glycol(PEG)and nano-sized silica which was surface-modified by amino groups(RNSA)were prepared.The structures of the blend membranes were characterized by attenuation total reflection-infrared spectroscopy(ATR-IR),X-ray diffraction(XRD),optical microscopy(OM)and differential scanning calorimetry(DSC).The results showed that the addition of silica affected not only the distribution and crystallinity of PEG on the sample surface,but also the pha...

Dorsal root ganglion-derived Schwann cells combined with poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)/chitosan conduits for the repair of sciatic nerve defects in rats

Schwann cells, nerve regeneration promoters in peripheral nerve tissue engineering, can be used to repair both the peripheral and central nervous systems. However, isolation and puriifcation of Schwann cells are complicated by contamination with ifbroblasts. Current reported measures are mainly limited by either high cost or complicated procedures with low cell yields or purity. In this study, we collected dorsal root ganglia from neonatal rats from which we obtained highly puriifed Schwann cells using serum-free melanocyte culture medium. The purity of Schwann cells （〉95%） using our method was higher than that using standard medium containing fetal bovine serum. The obtained Schwann cells were implanted into poly（lactic-co-glycolic acid）/chi-tosan conduits to repair 10-mm sciatic nerve defects in rats. Results showed that axonal diameter and area were signiifcantly increased and motor functions were obviously improved in the rat sciatic nerve tissue. Experimental ifndings suggest that serum-free melanocyte culture medium is conducive to purify Schwann cells and poly（lactic-co-glycolic acid）/chitosan nerve conduits combined with Schwann cells contribute to restore sciatic nerve defects.

Synthesis and Characterization of Chitosan-g-poly- (D, L-lactic acid) Copolymer

Biodegradable chitosan-g-poly (D, L-lactic acid) copolymers were prepared via two methods. (1) The lactide was grafted onto hydroxyl groups of chitosan by using macromolecular initiator sodium of trimethylsilyl-chitosan, (2) poly (D,L-lactic acid)(PLA) with low molecular weight can be linked to the amino group by coupling activated PLA to trimethylsilyl-chitosan. Two graft copolymers had hydrophilic-hydrophobic character and can be applied as carriers for drug delivery.

Preparation and Swelling Behavior of Physically Crosslinked Hydrogels Composed of Poly(vinyl alcohol) and Chitosan

The physically crosslinked poly（vinyl alcohol）/chitosan （CS） composite hydrogels were prepared by cyclic freezing/thawing techniques, and the microstructure and swelling behavior of the hydrogels in the simulated gastric （pH 1.0） and intestinal （pH 7.4） media were investigated. The experimental results of infrared spectra （IR）, scanning electron microscope （SEM） and differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） demonstrated that poly（vinyl alcohol） and chitosan had good miscibility in the composite hydrogels, and the addition of chitosan perturbed the formation of poly（vinyl alcohol） crystallites. The swelling kinetics results indicated that the composite hydrogels had good pH sensitive properties to the acidic environments, and with the increase of chitosan content in the blend, the maximum swelling degreed and the swelling rate both increased, but it led to more dissolution at pH 1.0. And the composite hydrogels also exhibited good reversible swelling behavior with pH value of the swelling medium altering between 1.0 and 7.4. In addition, the higher freezing/thawing cycle times resulted in the lower swelling rate. Therefore, the swelling behavior of the composite hydrogels could be adjusted by changing the chitosan contents and the freezing/thawing cycle times.

Effect of Chitosan Coating on the Properties of Poly(glycolic acid-lactic acid)Thread-Embedding Material

Poly( glycolic acid-lactic acid)( PGLA) threadembedding material was modified by chitosan coating which could improve the rigidity,hydrophilicity and moisture absorption of the material,and produced better stimulation effect. Thus,this kind of thread-embedding materials which can be buried into acupuncture points to produce a long-time stimulation is popular in the acupuncture and moxibustion therapies. The variation tendencies of diameter,weight, hydrophilicity, and flexibility of the samples under the change of chitosan coating concentration,coating time and coating times were studied respectively. The results showed that the hydrophilicity,weight,and rigidity after coating rose in a certain range with the increase of coating time,coating times and coating concentration. The coating time had little influence on the diameter of fiber.

Optimization of the Electrospinning Conditions by Box-Behnken Design to Prepare Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)/Chitosan Crosslinked Nanofibers

Electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan nanofibers had their solution and process parameters optimized using a Box-Behnken design and desirability function. Four factors (applied voltage, flow rate, distance tip-to-plate and amount of chitosan) were varied to produce electrospun mats with a low fiber diameter. An empirical model was developed for each response using response surface methodology (RSM), which revealed that flow rate had no significant influence on the assessed responses. With desirability function, the optimal conditions to produce the nanofibers were applied voltage of 13.1 kV, 30% chitosan concentration and distance tip-to-plate of 10 cm. The fiber diameter and standard deviation were 196.5 ± 28.3 nm, compared to the predicted values of 185.9 ± 26.8 nm. The desirability function allied with Box-Benhken design proved themselves important tools to predict process parameters for the development of nanofibers. The mats were crosslinked with glutaraldehyde for 24 h and 48 h and presented good water stability and enhanced mechanical properties.

Preparation and Properties of Poly(amidoamine) Dendrimer/Quaternary Ammonium Chitosan Hydrogels

A novel quaternary ammonium chitosan hydrogel modified by poly（amidoamine）（PAMAM） dendrimer was prepared by using glutaraldehyde as a cross-linker. The hydrogel was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FTIR） and scanning electron microscopy（SEM）. The results confirmed its highly porous three-dimensional network structure. The swelling test of hydrogel proved that it had excellent swelling and p H-sensitive properties. The increasing PAMAM content or quaternization degree led to the increase in swelling properties. And the hydrogel with lower cross-linking agent concentration or quaternary ammonium chitosan concentration exhibited better swelling properties. The antibacterial results indicated that with the increase in the PAMAM content, quaternary ammonium chitosan concentration or cross-linking agent concentration, the hydrogels showed better antibacterial activities against both Staphylococcus aureus（S. aureus） and Escherichia coli（E. coli）. Thus, the hydrogel could serve as a promising antibacterial material in the future.

Apoptosis of A549 cells by small interfering RNA targeting survivin delivery using poly-β-amino ester/guanidinylated O-carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles

Gene-based therapeutics has emerged as a promising approach for human cancer therapy. Among a variety of non-viral vectors, polymer vectors are particularly attractive due to their safety and multivalent groups on their surface. This study focuses on guanidinylated O-carboxymethyl chitosan(GOCMCS) along with poly-β-amino ester(PBAE) for si RNA delivery. Binding efficiency of PBAE/si RNA/GOCMCS nanoparticles were characterized by gel electrophoresis. The si RNA-loaded nanoparticles were found to be stable in the presence of RNase A, serum and BALF respectively. Fine particle fraction(FPF) which was determined by a two-stage impinger(TSI) was 57.8% ± 2.6%. The particle size and zeta potential of the nanoparticles were 153.8 ± 12.54 nm and + 12.2 ± 4.94 m V. In vitro cell transfection studies were carried out with A549 cells. The cellular uptake was significantly increased. When the cells were incubated with si Survivin-loaded nanoparticles, it could induce 26.83% ± 0.59% apoptosis of A549 cells and the gene silencing level of survivin expression in A549 cells were 30.93% ± 2.27%. The results suggested that PBAE/GOCMCS nanoparticle was a very promising gene delivery carrier.

Preparation and Properties of Poly(ethylene terephthalate )(PET) Coated by Chitosan( CS) Based on Sol-gel Method

Sucrose ester( SE) was fixed on surface of poly( ethylene terephthalate)( PET) fibers to improve surface activity. Chitosan( CS) was used to graft onto pretreated PET fibers by sol-gel method. The transformations of surface chemical structure,microcosmic morphology and thermodynamic property were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy( FTIR),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy( XPS), scanning electron microscope( SEM), X-ray diffraction technique( XRD), and thermo gravimetric analysis( TGA),respectively. The wettability and antistatic property of PET fiber were significantly improved after modification by SE and CS.

Oxygen transmission of modified natural rubber,poly(lactic acid) and chitosan porous structures for wound dressing

Oxygen is a significant factor essential to provide the additional energy source for the wound repairing process.Many polymeric materials have been employed recently in wound dressing such as natural rubber(NR)[1],poly(lactic acid)(PLA)and chitosan[2]because of their biocompatibility and biodegradability.In this study,the oxygen transmission rate(OTR)of modified NR,PLA and chitosan porous structure was determined.The comparison for their OTR was investigated.

Development of Urease Immobilization Using Poly（acrylonitrile）/Chitosan Composite Materials

PANCHI （poly（acrylonitrile）/chitosan） composite membranes were prepared. The chitosan layer was deposited on the surface as well as on the pore walls of the base membrane. This resulted in the reduction of the pore size of the membrane and in an increase of their hydrophilicity. The pore structure of poly（acrylonitrile） and PANCHI membranes were determined by SEM analyses It was found that the membrane coated with 1.0% chitosan shows the maximum reduced pore size. The amounts of the functional groups and the degree of hydrophilicity of PANCHI composite membranes were determined. Urease was covalently immobilized onto all kinds of PANCHI membranes using glutaraldehyde. Both the amount of bound protein and relative activity of immobilized urease were measured. The highest activity （92.96%） was measured for urease bound to PANCHI （1%） membranes. The basic characteristics of optimum conditions （pH and temperature）, heat inactivation and storage stability of immobilized urease were determined. Immobilization improved the thermal, pH and storage stability of the enzyme. The obtained results show that the poly（acrylonitrile）/chitosan composite materials are suitable for urease immobilization.

Physicochemical Properties of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)/Chitosan/Soluble Starch Composite Hydrogel

Fabricating of hydrogels based upon polymers and inorganic matter is an innovative replacement for the generation of adaptable matrices.In this study,the poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA)/chitosan(CS)/soluble starch(SS)composite hydrogel was prepared by the solution blending method,in which SS was used as a cross-linking agent to cross-link with PVA in order to improve the stability of PVA in the tissue fluid.The composition and the thermal stability of hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared(FTIR)spectroscopy and thermo gravimetric analysis(TGA).The result shows that the PVA/CS/SS composite hydrogel possesses potentially morphological and thermal stability and can be used for tissue engineering.

Development of Chitosan/Poly(L-Lactide)/Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

This work focuses to improve the mechanical properties and investigates the growth of osteoblasts on a degradable chitosan/poly(L-lactide)/carbon nanotubes composite for tissue engineering. The morphological and mechanical properties characterizations were performed using scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and rheometrics analysis system (RSA). Osteoblasts differentiation was determined by alkaline phosphatase activity, total number cells by an Alamar Blue assay, cell attachment and proliferation were visualized qualitatively using SEM, mineralization was characterized by transformed infrared spectroscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The results suggest that the chitosan/poly(L-lactide)/multiwalled carbon nanotubes composites exhibit the ability to promote cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation on their surface.

Hydrogels from Chitosan and a Novel Copolymer Poly(N-Vinyl-2-Pyrrolidone-Co-Acrolein)

PVP, a synthetic polymer and chitosan, a natural polymer are biocompatible and have presented a great variety of interesting properties for cosmetic, biomedical, pharmaceutical and biotechnological applications, Many alternatives to improve the polymer propeties has been made as bleeding polymers, for example. In this work, two different techniques of hydrogel attainment were used: one from mixtures of acid aqueous cosolutions of chitosan and PVP, whose resultant films and solutions were irradiated, afterwards, by ultraviolet radiation (λ = 254 nm), another one from the reaction of poly (N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone-co-acrolein)-a novel copolymer synthesized in our biomaterials laboratory-and chitosan. In the first one alternatives it was possible produce hydrogels directly from mixtures of aqueous acidic co-solutions of both polymers. In the second one, the attainment of hydrogels from Schiff base has proved to be an effective methodology for the production of hydrogels, showing good values of gel content and swelling.

Fabrication of Chitosan/Poly (vinyl alcohol) Porous Membrane for Wound Dressing

A porous,biocompatible,and modifiable chitosan (CS)/poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hybrid membrane, which can be evaluated as wound dressing,has been prepared by lyophilization method and using the low toxicity solvents. Experiments illustrated that the moisture regain and porosity rate of polymer blend membranes had the similar variation tendency and got the maximum value at the case of CS/PVA weight ratio of 6∶4. And the value of water vapor transmission rate( WVTR) is conductive to the healing of wound and desirable for the application as a wound dressing.Mechanical performance test of blend membrane showed that the presence of PVA could effectively improve the interaction between CS molecules. The scanning electron microscopy( SEM)photograph confirmed the porous surface on top-layer supported by a macroporous sponge-like sub-layer of this novel type of CS blend membrane. Besides, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy( FTIR) revealed the facts that the two polymers were physically bended and certain chemical actions took place,which illustrated the good compatibility between them. Differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) results showed that decomposition reaction occurred in CS at about 210℃. Introducing of PVA to CS made the decomposition temperature of blend membrane decrease. The good properties,such as moisture regain,porosity rate,and WVTR,of this kind of CS/PVA blend membranes suggested a potential application as a wound dressing in the future.

运载双层抗原蛋白的CS-PLGA制剂制备及其表征鉴定

目的制备运载双层抗原的CS-PLGA微球制剂,并对其进行相关表征鉴定。方法通过复乳法结合溶剂挥发法制备得到多孔微球后,在4℃水浴条件下装载抗原,利用抗原浓度梯度介导的物理扩散促进抗原进入微球内部,并通过静电作用结合在微球外表面,形成内外双层抗原运载。根据聚乳酸-羟基乙酸共聚物(PLGA)材料玻璃转化温度这一特性,促进多孔微球表面孔道在48℃条件下发生愈合,使其形成闭合的微球制剂,再将得到的微球制剂与壳聚糖溶液混悬镀层,进行阳离子修饰,逆转微球表面负性电位。通过扫描电子显微镜、动态光散射粒度仪等检测微球形态、粒径分布和电位变化,采用十二烷基硫酸钠聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(SDS-PAGE)鉴定抗原是否装载至微球制剂中,采用荧光标记的BSA和荧光标记的PLGA材料进行激光共聚焦显微镜观察抗原装载后的分布情况,通过BCA法检测微球制剂的包封率和载药率。结果扫描电镜和光学显微镜结果显示多孔微球成孔良好,粒径大小为(73.94±0.81)nm,多分散性指数为0.038±0.004。Zeta电位由负转正说明壳聚糖已被成功镀层至微球表面。经过SDS-PAGE、激光共聚焦显微镜等证实BSA已被成功运载。经micro BCA试剂盒检测后多孔微球包封率为(3.01±0.04)%,载药率为(1.50±0.02)%。结论成功制备得到运载双层抗原的CS-PLGA制剂,为后续缓控释制剂研究提供新思路。