Carboxymethylpullulan hydrogels with a ionic and/or amphiphilic behavior: Swelling properties and entrapment of cationic and/or hydrophobic molecules

V. Dulong (1) , D. Le Cerf (1) , L. Picton (1) , G. Muller (1)

1 PBM - Polymères, biopolymères, membranes

New ionic and amphiphilic polysaccharide-based hydrogels were synthesized and evaluated for controlled release entrapment applications. The starting polysaccharide (pullulan) was first carboxymethylated to provide ionic derivatives. The hydrogels were then obtained by cross-linking carboxymethylpullulan with adipic acid dihydrazide in water in the presence of 1-ethyl-3-[3-(dimethylamino)-propyl]carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDCI) as reagent. A set of hydrogels differing by their cross-linking densities was prepared and their degree of swelling were measured in water and in the presence of sodium chloride (0.1 mol L−1). The entrapment capacity of hydrogels was estimated using two probe molecules: methylene blue, a cationic dye with a high affinity with negatively charged compounds and coomassy brilliant blue, a molecule having a marked amphiphilic character. The ionic and/or amphiphilic properties of the hydrogels were then demonstrated by their capacity or not to entrap these molecules.

Mots clés: Pullulan; Hydrogel; Adipic acid dihydrazide; Amphiphile; Cross-linking

Domaines: Chimie; Polymères

V. Dulong, D. Le Cerf, L. Picton, G. Muller. Carboxymethylpullulan hydrogels with a ionic and/or amphiphilic behavior: Swelling properties and entrapment of cationic and/or hydrophobic molecules. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 2006, 274 (1-3), pp.163 - 169. ⟨10.1016/j.colsurfa.2005.08.045⟩. ⟨hal-01866843⟩