A review on the applications of Traditional Chinese medicine polysaccharides in drug delivery systems

Traditional Chinese medicine polysaccharides (TCMPs) are plentiful and renewable resources with properties such as biocompatibility, hydrophilicity, biodegradability, and low cytotoxicity. Because the polysaccharide molecular chain contains a variety of active groups, different polysaccharide derivatives can be easily produced through chemical modification. They have been increasingly used in drug delivery systems (DDS). However, the potential of polysaccharides is usually ignored due to their structural complexity, poor stability or ambiguity of mechanisms of actions. This review summarized the applications of TCMPs in DDS around four main aspects. The general characteristics of TCMPs as drug delivery carriers, as well as the relationships between structure and function of them were summarized. Meanwhile, the direction of preparing multifunctional drug delivery materials with synergistic effect by using TCMPs was discussed. This review aims to become a reference for further research of TCMPs and their derivatives, especially applications of them as carriers in pharmaceutical preparation industry.

Analysis of the Heterogeneities of First and Second Order of Cellulose Derivatives: A Complex Challenge

The complexity of the substituent distribution in polysaccharide derivatives is discussed and defined. The challenges regarding analytical characterization that results from various interrelated categories of distributions, including molecular weight, chemical composition, and microstructure, are outlined. Due to these convoluted levels of complexity, results should always be interpreted with carefulness. Various analytical approaches which have been applied to starch and cellulose derivatives are recapped, including enzymatic, mass spectrometric, and chromatographic methods. The relation of heterogeneities of first and second order among and along the polysaccharide chains is addressed. Finally, examples of own analytical work on cellulose ethers are presented, including the MS analysis of methyl cellulose (MC) blends and fractionation studies of fully esterified MC, especially its 4-methoxybenzoates by gradient HPLC on normal phase. Preparative fractionation according to the degree of substitution (DS) allows follow-up analysis in order to get more detailed information on the substituent distribution in such sub-fractions.

Dual-Crosslinked Oxidized Pectin/N-Succinyl Chitosan Hydrogel Containing Graphene Oxide Nanosheets for Tissue Engineering Application

Biopolymer-based hydrogels are commonly used in clinical applications. In the present study, N- succinyl chitosan (NSC), oxidized pectin (OP), and graphene oxide (GO) were used to develop a new dual-crosslinked hydrogel system. The dynamic OP/NSC/GO hydrogel showed quick gelation and great injectability due to the cooperation of hydrogen interaction between the GO nanosheets and the NSC and OP macromolecules and Schiff-based crosslinking by amino and aldehyde functional groups of polysaccharide derivatives. The performance of the above-mentioned hydrogel was improved when the GOs were embedded. When the GO content was 6 (mg/ml), the hydrogel showed the best overall performance, with a 10-minute healing time, a quick gelation time (~ 13s), acceptable swelling ability, suitable conductivity, great hemocompatibility, and strong biological compatibility. These results showed that the composite hydrogel could be used as a promising conductive injectable self-healing hydrogel for tissue engineering applications.

Seaweed Polysaccharide Based Products and Materials: An Assessment on Their Production from a Sustainability Point of View

Among the various natural polymers, polysaccharides are one of the oldest biopolymers present on the Earth. They play a very crucial role in the survival of both animals and plants. Due to the presence of hydroxyl functional groups in most of the polysaccharides, it is easy to prepare their chemical derivatives. Several polysaccharide derivatives are widely used in a number of industrial applications. The polysaccharides such as cellulose, starch, chitosan, etc., have several applications but due to some distinguished characteristic properties, seaweed polysaccharides are preferred in a number of applications. This review covers published literature on the seaweed polysaccharides, their origin, and extraction from seaweeds, application, and chemical modification. Derivatization of the polysaccharides to impart new functionalities by chemical modification such as esterification, amidation, amination, C-N bond formation, sulphation, acetylation, phosphorylation, and graft copolymerization is discussed. The suitability of extraction of seaweed polysaccharides such as agar, carrageenan, and alginate using ionic solvent systems from a sustainability point of view and future prospects for efficient extraction and functionalization of seaweed polysaccharides is also included in this review article.

Synthesis and characterization of cellulose derivative-based hybrid beads as chiral stationary phases for efficient chromatographic enantioseparation

Polysaccharide derivatives have become most attractive polymer candidates for preparation of chiral stationary phases (CSPs) for efficient chromatographic enantioseparation due to their regular structure and high chiral recognition ability....

Recent Advances in the Chemical Synthesis of Marine Acidic Carbohydrates

: The ocean supplies abundant active compounds, including small organic molecules, proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates, with diverse biological functions. The high-value transformation of marine carbohydrates primarily refers to their pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic applications. However, it is still a big challenge to obtain these marine carbohydrates in well-defined structures. Synthesis is a powerful approach to access marine oligosaccharides, polysaccharide derivatives, and glycomimetics. In this review, we focus on the chemical synthesis of marine acidic carbohydrates with acidic ester groups or uronic acid building blocks including alginate, glycosaminoglycans. Regioselective sulfation using a chemical approach is also highlighted in the synthesis of marine oligosaccharides, as well as the multivalent glycodendrimers and glycopolymers for achieving specific functions. This review summarizes recent advances in the synthesis of marine acidic carbohydrates, as well as their preliminary structure activity relationship (SAR) studies, which establishes a foundation for the development of novel marine carbohydrate-based drugs and functional reagents.

Extraction and Characterization of Rice Bran Polysaccharides and Their Derivative Preparation and Antioxidant Activity

The crude polysaccharide of rice bran polysaccharide was extracted with water from defatted rice bran, and the optimal reaction conditions of the experiment were determined. The reaction temperature is 100°C, the reaction time is 5h, the solid-liquid ratio is 1:10; the concentration ratio of polysaccharide to Sevag reagent is 2:1, and rice polysaccharide is precipitated by ethanol insoluble property and ethanol. The ethanol concentration ratio is 3:1. Using the methods and conditions of this experiment, the maximum polysaccharide yield is 2.18%. Then the chemical structure of rice bran polysaccharide was analyzed by IR, UV and 13CNMR methods. Three rice bran polysaccharide derivatives were prepared and characterized: carboxymethylated rice bran polysaccharide, phosphorylated rice bran polysaccharide and acetylated rice bran polysaccharide. Also studied the antioxidant activity of rice bran polysaccharide and its derivatives (hydroxy radical ion scavenging ability, superoxide anion scavenging ability, anti-lipid peroxidation ability, reducing ability), and found that phosphorylated rice bran polysaccharide has good activity. The acetylated rice bran polysaccharide may weaken the original activity.

Hydrophilic Films Based on Carboxymethylated Derivatives of Starch and Cellulose

The carboxymethylated derivatives of starch (CMS) and cellulose (CMC) were used for film preparation. The infrared spectroscopy revealed that crosslinking via ester bridges with citric acid occurred between the two polysaccharide derivatives. The effect of polysaccharide derivatives ratio on physicochemical properties of prepared films was evaluated. Generally, the values of tested parameters (moisture absorption, surface roughness, and mechanical and thermal properties) were between the values noted for neat CMS or CMC-based films. However, the physicochemical properties of the system with equal CMS/CMC weight ratio diverged from this trend, i.e., the highest tensile strength, the highest Young’s modulus (ca. 3.4 MPa and ca. 4.9 MPa, respectively), with simultaneously the lowest moisture absorption (18.5% after 72 h) have been noted. Such systems could potentially find application in agriculture or pharmacy.

Influence of cellulose fibers on physicochemical properties of biodegradable films based on polysaccharide derivatives

The article presents a method of obtaining films based on carboxymethyl polysaccharide derivatives cross-linked with citric acid and reinforced with cellulose fibers (CFs). The addition of CFs to a film improves the mechanical properties of the composite. With the increase of filler content, the water solubility drops from 64 to 61%, respectively, for a system without a filler and that containing 7 wt% CFs, whereas Young’s modulus increases from 4.8 to 24.8 MPa for a film containing 5 wt% filler.