Synthesis of hydrogels made of poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) for potential applications as probiotic-delivery vehicles
Abstract
Numerous hydrogels made of poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) and various cross-linkers have been explored, but only limited data on hydrogels made of γ-PGA and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) are available. In this study, γ-PGA, a biodegradable and edible biopolyamide, was successfully cross-linked with selected PEGs to obtain a series of hydrogels. The swelling behaviour of these hydrogels was investigated under various pH conditions. It was also found that the structure of the cross-linker (linear or branched) affected the hydrogels’ swelling behaviour. In addition, in disc diffusion assay, hydrogel discs loaded with antibiotic were tested against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Prolonged activity of hydrogels loaded with antibiotics in comparison to paper discs containing antibiotics was observed. Moreover, the protective effect of hydrogels on entrapped probiotic cells subjected to low pH was investigated. The hydrogel swelling ratio and amount influenced the survival rate of the protected bacteria. Considering potential biomedical applications of hydrogels, cytotoxicity was evaluated towards two cell lines, MSTO and PANC 1.Citation
Kwiecień, I., Niewolik, D., Ekere, A.I., Gupta, A. and Radecka, I. (2020) Synthesis of hydrogels made of poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) for potential applications as probiotic-delivery vehicles, Applied Sciences, 2020, 10, 2787.Publisher
MDPIJournal
Applied SciencesAdditional Links
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/8/2787Type
Journal articleLanguage
enDescription
© 2020 The Authors. Published by MDPI. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.3390/app10082787ISSN
2076-3417ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.3390/app10082787
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/