Luminescent κ-Carrageenan-Based Electrolytes Containing Neodymium Triflate

In recent years, the synthesis of polymer electrolyte systems derived from biopolymers for the development of sustainable green electrochemical devices has attracted great attention. Here electrolytes based on the red seaweeds-derived polysaccharide κ-carrageenan (κ-Cg) doped with neodymium triflate (NdTrif₃) and glycerol (Gly) were obtained by means of a simple, clean, fast, and low-cost procedure. The aim was to produce near-infrared (NIR)-emitting materials with improved thermal and mechanical properties, and enhanced ionic conductivity. Cg has a particular interest, due to the fact that it is a renewable, cost-effective natural polymer and has the ability of gelling in the presence of certain alkali- and alkaline-earth metal cations, being good candidates as host matrices for accommodating guest cations. The as-synthesised κ-Cg-based membranes are semi-crystalline, reveal essentially a homogeneous texture, and exhibit ionic conductivity values 1⁻2 orders of magnitude higher than those of the κ-Cg matrix. A maximum ionic conductivity was achieved for 50 wt.% Gly/κ-Cg and 20 wt.% NdTrif₃/κ-Cg (1.03 × 10-4, 3.03 × 10-4, and 1.69 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 30, 60, and 97 °C, respectively). The NdTrif-based κ-Cg membranes are multi-wavelength emitters from the ultraviolet (UV)/visible to the NIR regions, due to the κ-Cg intrinsic emission and to Nd3+, ⁴F3/2→⁴I11/2-9/2.

Synthesis and characterization of modified κ-carrageenan for enhanced proton conductivity as polymer electrolyte membrane

Polymer electrolyte membranes based on the natural polymer κ-carrageenan were modified and characterized for application in electrochemical devices. In general, pure κ-carrageenan membranes show a low ionic conductivity. New membranes were developed by chemically modifying κ-carrageenan via phosphorylation to produce O-methylene phosphonic κ-carrageenan (OMPC), which showed enhanced membrane conductivity. The membranes were prepared by a solution casting method. The chemical structure of OMPC samples were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (31P NMR) spectroscopy. The conductivity properties of the membranes were investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The characterization demonstrated that the membranes had been successfully produced. The ionic conductivity of κ-carrageenan and OMPC were 2.79 × 10-6 S cm-1 and 1.54 × 10-5 S cm-1, respectively. The hydrated membranes showed a two orders of magnitude higher ionic conductivity than the dried membranes.

Enzyme-Assisted Preparation of Furcellaran-Like κ-/β-Carrageenan

Carrageenans are sulfated galactans that are widely used in industrial applications for their thickening and gelling properties, which vary according to the amount and distribution of ester sulfate groups along the galactan backbone. To determine and direct the sulfation of κ-carrageenan moieties, we purified an endo-κ-carrageenan sulfatase (Q15XH1 accession in UniprotKB) from Pseudoalteromonas atlantica T6c extracts. Based on sequence analyses and exploration of the genomic environment of Q15XH1, we discovered and characterized a second endo-κ-carrageenan sulfatase (Q15XG7 accession in UniprotKB). Both enzymes convert κ-carrageenan into a hybrid, furcellaran-like κ-/β-carrageenan. We compared the protein sequences of these two new κ-carrageenan sulfatases and that of a previously reported ι-carrageenan sulfatase with other predicted sulfatases in the P. atlantica genome, revealing the existence of additional new carrageenan sulfatases.

Radiation synthesis of poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)-kappa-carrageenan hydrogels and their use in wound dressing applications. I. Preliminary laboratory tests

Poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)-kappa-carrageenan hydrogels (PVP-KC) were prepared by irradiating the mixtures of aqueous solutions of PVP, KC, potassium chloride, and poly(ethylene glycol) by gamma-rays at different doses. Their preliminary laboratory tests were evaluated to identify their usability in wound dressing applications. For investigation of the effect of components on the gelation of PVP, sol-gel analyses were made and gel fractions of the hydrogels were determined. Mechanical experiments were conducted for both unirradiated and irradiated samples. For investigation of the fluid uptake capacity of the hydrogels, swelling experiments were performed in pseudo-extracellular fluid solution at various temperatures. Acidity/alkalinity (pH) and electrical conductivity tests were achieved from aqueous extracts of hydrogels, and bioadhesion strength of the hydrogels was investigated on human skin.

Self-assembly of drug-polymer complexes: a spontaneous nanoencapsulation process monitored by atomic force microscopy

Since hydrophilic matrices were proposed for controlled drug delivery, many polymeric excipients have been studied to make drug release fit the desired profiles. It has been pointed out that lambda-carrageenan, a sulfated polymer from algae, can suitably control the release rate of basic drugs from hydrophilic matrices. Furthermore, the relevance of hydrophobic interactions in drug-polymer aqueous systems has already been demonstrated, although no references to morphological features as well as to the kinetics of the interaction complexes formation have been published to date. In this work, we propose a method to monitor the topographical evolution of the interaction between lambda-carrageenan and dexchlorpheniramine maleate, in order to determine how the release profiles can be so easily controlled. For this purpose, solutions of both polymer and drug were prepared at very low concentration. Solutions were mixed and small volumes were taken every hour for over a period of 24 h and subsequently analyzed. The characterization technique used, atomic force microscopy, provides a high resolution, allowing plotting of three-dimensional images of the sample morphology within the nanometric scale. The results demonstrate that lambda-carrageenan is able to nanoencapsulate spontaneously dexchlorpheniramine maleate molecules, which offers the possibility of controlling the release rate of the drug with no need of complex technological processes. Moreover, this work demonstrates the suitability of atomic force microscopy for the specific case of the on-time monitoring of interaction processes that occur in pharmaceutical systems.

Synthesis of new covalently bound kappa-carrageenan-AZT conjugates with improved anti-HIV activities

This paper describes the first covalent synthesis of kappa-carrageenan-3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT) conjugates. A succinate diester spacer was used to covalently couple AZT onto kappa-carrageenan, resulting in a tripartite prodrug. Two methods (UV and radioactive counting) are described and validated to determine the AZT loading onto the kappa-carrageenan carrier. This polymeric carrier, through its own intrinsic anti-HIV activity, is expected to act not only as a drug delivery agent but also as an anti-HIV agent. Synergism between the two drugs (kappa-carrageenan and AZT) was demonstrated when MT-4 cells were preincubated with the kappa-carrageenan-AZT conjugate prior to HIV-1-infection. A threshold of AZT loaded onto the kappa-carrageenan was required to achieve this synergistic effect. Such kappa-carrageenan-AZT conjugates could be of great therapeutic interest because these conjugates, which contain a low AZT concentration, present improved anti-HIV activities relative to free AZT. Moreover, kappa-carrageenan is a well-tolerated biopolymer, already used in the food industry.

Efficient and stereoselective synthesis of methyl 3-O-(3,6-anhydro-beta-D-galactopyranosyl)-alpha-D-galactopyranoside and methyl 3,6-anhydro-4-O-beta-D-galactopyranosyl-alpha-D-galactopyranoside

Methyl 3-O-(3,6-anhydro-beta-D-galactopyranosyl)-alpha-D-galactopyranoside (3) and methyl 3,6-anhydro-4-O-beta-D-galactopyranosyl-alpha-D-galactopyranoside (4) have been synthesised stereoselectively using three coupling procedures. Acceptable yields were achieved using acetylated derivatives as donors and trimethylsilyl triflate as the catalyst. Intramolecular tosylate displacement to form 3,6-anhydro rings proceeded in methanolic sodium methoxide.

Synthesis and conformational studies of carrabiose and its 4'-sulphate and 2,4'-disulphate

Methyl alpha-carrabioside (13), and its 4-sulphate (19) and 2,4-disulphate (20) have been synthesised via glycosylation of methyl 3,6-anhydro-2-O-benzyl-alpha-D-galactopyranoside with 2,3,6-tri-O-acetyl-4-O-benzyl-beta-D-galactopyranosyl bromide and subsequent partial or complete debenzylation, sulphation, and deprotection of the resulting disaccharide derivatives. Conformational studies have been carried out on 13, 19, and 20 on the basis of 1D and 2D 1H-n.m.r. spectroscopy and molecular mechanics calculations.