Carbohydrate Polymers

Starch, lipids, and proteins are essential biological macromolecules that play a crucial role in providing energy and nutrition to our bodies. Interactions between these macromolecules have been shown to impact starch digestibility. Understanding and controlling starch digestibility is a key area of research. Investigating the mechanisms behind the interactions of these three components and their influence on starch digestibility is of significant practical importance. Moreover, these interactions can result in the formation of resistant starch, which can be fermented by gut microbiota in the colon, leading to various health benefits...

Cellulose nanofiber was an ideal candidate for humidity actuators based on its wide availability, biocompatibility and excellent hydrophilicity. However, conventional cellulose nanofiber-based actuators faced challenges like poor water resistance, flexibility, and sensitivity. Herein, water-resistant, flexible, and highly sensitive cross-linked cellulose nanofibers (CCNF) single-layer humidity actuators with remarkable reversible humidity responsiveness were prepared by combining the green click chemistry modification and intercalation modulated plasticization (IMP)...

In this study, the polyvinylpyrrolidone-alizarin nanoparticles (PVP-AZ NPs) with favorable water dispersion and the carbon quantum dots (RQDs) with aggregate induced emission effect were synthesized to construct an eco-friendly film for food freshness monitoring. The introduction of PVP-AZ NPs and RQDs enhanced the network structure and thermal stability of the cassava starch/polyvinyl alcohol film, and reduced its crystallinity and light transmittance via non-covalent binding with the film-forming matrix. The developed film exhibited visually recognizable colorimetric and fluorescent responses to ammonia at 0...

More than 3000 proteins are now known to bind to glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Yet, GAG-protein systems are rather poorly understood in terms of selectivity of recognition, molecular mechanism of action, and translational promise. High-throughput screening (HTS) technologies are critically needed for studying GAG biology and developing GAG-based therapeutics. Microarrays, developed within the past two decades, have now improved to the point of being the preferred tool in the HTS of biomolecules. GAG microarrays, in which GAG sequences are immobilized on slides, while similar to other microarrays, have their own sets of challenges and considerations...

In this study, we purified a partially acetylated heteropolysaccharide (Ts1-1A) from the fruit bodies of Trametes sanguinea Lloyd through cold water extraction and serial chromatographic separation. The purified polysaccharide Ts1-1A (12.8 kDa) was characterized as a branched mannogalactofucan with a backbone of alternately connected 1,3-linked α-Fucp and 1,6-linked α-Galp, which was partially substituted by non-reducing end units of β-Manp at O-2 and O-3 positions of 1,6-linked α-Galp...

As a contribution to expand accessibility in the territory of bio-based nanomaterials, we demonstrate a novel material strategy to convert amorphous xylan preserved in wood biomass to hierarchical assemblies of crystalline nanoxylan on a multi-length scale. By reducing the end group in pressurized hot water extracted (PHWE) xylan to primary alcohol as a xylitol form with borohydride reduction, the endwise-peeling depolymerization is effectively impeded in the alkali-catalyzed hydrolytic cleavage of side substitutions in xylan...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impacts of enzymatically synthesized α-glucans possessing α-1,4- and α-1,6-glucose linkages, and varying in branching ratio, on colonic microbiota composition and metabolic function. Four different α-glucans varying in branching ratio were synthesized by amylosucrase from Neisseria polysaccharea and glycogen branching enzyme from Rhodothermus obamensis. The branching ratios were found to range from 0 % to 2.8 % using GC/MS. In vitro fecal fermentation analyses (n = 8) revealed that the branching ratio dictates the short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) generation by fecal microbiota...

The polysaccharides and triterpenes are important functional components of Ganoderma lucidum, but traditional preparation process of G. lucidum functional components can only realize the preparation of single functional component, which has poor targeting and low efficiency. In this study, the existence state of the functional components of G. lucidum was revealed. Then, the single step extraction process for functional components was established, and the precise structure evaluation of polysaccharide and triterpenes was conducted based on the process...

The development of exopolysaccharide-based polymers is gaining increasing attention in various industrial biotechnology fields for materials such as thickeners, texture modifiers, anti-freeze agents, antioxidants, and antibacterial agents. High-viscosity carboxyethyl-succinoglycan (CE-SG) was directly synthesized from succinoglycan (SG) isolated from Sinorhizobium meliloti Rm 1021, and its structural, rheological, and physiological properties were investigated. The viscosity of CE-SG gradually increased in proportion to the degree of carboxyethylation substitution...

The surface properties of cardiovascular biomaterials play a critical role in their biological responses. Although bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) materials have exhibited potential applications in cardiovascular implants, the impact of their surface characteristics on biocompatibility has rarely been studied. This study investigated the mechanism for the biocompatibility induced by the physicochemical properties of both sides of BNC. With greater wettability and smoothness, the upper BNC surface reduced protein adsorption by 25 % compared with the lower surface...

Cellulose-based humidity sensors have attracted great research interest due to their hydrophilicity, biodegradability, and low cost. However, they still suffer from relatively low humidity sensitivity. Due to the presence of negatively charged carboxylate groups, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO)-oxidized cellulose nanofibril (CNF) exhibits enhanced hydrophilicity and ion conductivity, which is considered a promising candidate for humidity sensing. In this work, we developed a facile strategy to improve the humidity sensitivity of CNF films by regulating their surface charge density...

Manufacturing flexible sensors with prominent mechanical properties, multifunctional sensing abilities, and remarkable self-healing capabilities remains a difficult task. In this study, a novel vanillin-modified polyacrylate (VPA), which is capable of forming green dynamic covalent crosslinking with chitosan (CS), was synthesized. The synthesized VPA was combined with mesoporous silica-modified MXene (AMS-MXene) and covalently cross-linked simultaneously with CS, resulting in the formation of a flexible composite conductive film designed for dual-mode sensors...

Recently, attention has been paid to cellulose nanofibers, such as 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TOCN), as new bio-based materials. In addition, hydrophobized surface on TOCNs can be expected to provide new applications. Based on our previous finding that partially 2-deoxygenated (P2D)-amylose, which was synthesized by GP-catalyzed enzymatic copolymerization of D-glucal with α-d-glucose 1-phosphate (Glc-1-P) as comonomers, was hydrophobic, in this study, hydrophobization of surfaces on TOCNs was investigated by the GP-catalyzed enzymatic grafting of P2D-amylose chains on TOCNs...

Natural polymer-based hydrogels have been wildly used in electronic skin, health monitoring and human motion sensing. However, the construction of hydrogel with excellent mechanical strength and electrical conductivity totally using natural polymers still faces many challenges. In this paper, gelatin and oxidized sodium carboxymethylcellulose were used to synthesize a double-network hydrogel through the dynamic Schiff base bonds. Then, the mechanical strength of the hydrogel was further enhanced by immersing it in an ammonium sulfate solution based on the Hofmeister effect between gelatin and salt...

The development of highly effective chitosan-based hemostatic materials that can be utilized for deep wound hemostasis remains a considerable challenge. In this study, a hemostatic antibacterial chitosan/N-hydroxyethyl acrylamide (NHEMAA)/Ti3 C2 Tx (CSNT) composite cryogel was facilely prepared through the physical interactions between the three components and the spontaneous condensation of NHEMAA. Because of the formation of strong crosslinked network, the CSNT cryogel showed a developed pore structure (~ 99...

Diabetic wound infection brings chronic pain to patients and the therapy remains a crucial challenge owing to the disruption of the internal microenvironment. Herein, we report a nano-composite hydrogel (ZnO@HN) based on ZnO nanoparticles and a photo-trigging hyaluronic acid which is modified by o-nitrobenzene (NB), to accelerate infected diabetic wound healing. The diameter of the prepared ZnO nanoparticle is about 50 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis reveals that the coordinate bond binds ZnO in the hydrogel, rather than simple physical restraint...

Phenolic acids are phytochemicals commonly existing in plants that are also beneficial to the human body after consumption. As additives in the food industry, phenolic acids typically need stabilization by encapsulation. We have been studying cyclodextrins as potential encapsulating agents, elucidating the structure and energetics of the complexes they form with phenolic acids. To highlight the role of the solvent in these interactions and to investigate the possible component ratios available to these complexes, we first carried out gas-phase studies monitored through mass spectrometry that allowed us to work in solvent-free conditions...

The galactomannan-based gel from Cassia grandis seeds was used to incorporate Penicillium sp. UCP 1286 and commercial collagenases. Experiments were carried out according to a 23 -full factorial design to identify the most significant parameters for the incorporation process. The pH of the incorporation solution (pHi ), stirring time (t), and initial protein concentration in the crude extract (PCi ) were selected as the three independent variables, and the efficiency of collagenase incorporation (E) and collagenolytic activity (CA) after 360 min as the responses...

Flexible conductive hydrogels (FCHs) have attracted widespread interest as versatile monoliths that can be intricately integrated with various ingredients boasting multiple functionalities. The chemicophysical properties of FCHs cover a wide range, which significantly vary in their building blocks. However, achieving both favorable mechanical strength and high conductivity simultaneously through a facile approach remains a challenge. Herein, polyvinyl alcohol, dialdehyde cellulose nanofibrils, silver nanoparticles, borax, and tannic acid are readily "one-pot" incorporated into FCHs with great tensile stress (499 kPa), tensile strain (4591 %), and compressive stress (269 kPa) due to abundant hydrogen bonding, dynamic borate-diol bonding, and intermolecular acetalization...

Global public health is seriously threatened by thrombotic disorders because of their high rates of mortality and disability. Most thrombolytic agents, especially protein-based pharmaceuticals, have a short half-life in circulation, reducing their effectiveness in thrombolysis. The creation of an intelligent drug delivery system that delivers medication precisely and releases it under regulated conditions at nearby thrombus sites is essential for effective thrombolysis. In this article, we present a unique medication delivery system (MCRUA) that selectively targets platelets and releases drugs by stimulation from the thrombus' microenvironment...