Interaction-Induced Structural Transformations in Polysaccharide and Protein-Polysaccharide Gels as Functional Basis for Novel Soft-Matter: A Case of Carrageenans

• Published in: Gels Vol. 8; no. 5; p. 287
• Main Authors: Makshakova, Olga N, Zuev, Yuriy F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 06.05.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Admixtures; Algae; Biocompatibility; Biodegradability; Biomimetics; Biopolymers; Crosslinking; Drug delivery systems; FTIR-spectroscopy; galactan; Gels; Hydrogels; Polymers; Polysaccharides; Proteins; protein–polysaccharide gels; Review; Spectrum analysis; structure; Viscosity; κ-carrageenan; FTIR-spectroscopy; molecular modelling; κ-carrageenan; novel matter; galactan; crosslinking; protein–polysaccharide gels; structure
• ISSN: 2310-2861; 2310-2861
• DOI: 10.3390/gels8050287

Biocompatible, nontoxic, and biodegradable polysaccharides are considered as a promising base for bio-inspired materials, applicable as scaffolds in regenerative medicine, coatings in drug delivery systems, etc. The tunable macroscopic properties of gels should meet case-dependent requirements. The admixture of proteins to polysaccharides and their coupling in more sophisticated structures opens an avenue for gel property tuning via physical cross-linking of components and the modification of gel network structure. In this review recent success in the conformational studies of binary protein-polysaccharide gels is summarized with the main focus upon carrageenans. Future perspectives and challenges in rational design of novel polysaccharide-based materials are outlined.