Effects of hybrid cross-linkers on alginate gel

• Main Author: Yang, Chao
• Other Authors: Choong Swee Neo Cleo
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Materials::Biomaterials
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/50769
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The notion of targeted delivery and controlled release of affordable therapeutic agents in a safe and reproducible manner at the right time and the precise level has become the Holy Grail of modern pharmacy and medicine. Cell-based drug delivery, whereby cells are encapsulated in biocompatible materials and used as de novo drug producers and delivery vehicles has generated a range of promising treatments for various diseases. Selecting appropriate materials is one of the key factors that determine the success of cell encapsulation techniques since the physiochemical features of the encapsulating materials can have dramatic impact on cell functions and viability. Alginate due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability and rapid gel formation under mild conditions has seen a wide range of applications in regenerative medicine as well as other industries (e.g. stabilizing, thickening, or emulsifying agents in food industry, detoxifying agents in environmental protection, etc.) Calcium-alginate chelate has been the most studied over the years. At present, efforts are devoted to improve alginate gel properties. Barium capsules have been shown to display better gel properties. In addition, stabilizing calcium capsules with barium has been proved to be an effective way. Nonetheless, barium may trigger K channel inhibition on cells when its concentration in the cross-linking solution reaches the range of 5-10 mM . This paper is designated to study the effects of hybrid calcium barium cross-linkers on alginate gel properties. With barium concentration being controlled within 10 mM, the paper attempts to investigate the possibility of fabricating injectable microcapsules with properties identical or superior to those produced by 100 mM barium chloride.