Moldable Crystalline α-Chitin Hydrogel with Toughness and Transparency toward Ocular Applications
Moldable Crystalline α-Chitin Hydrogel with Toughness and Transparency toward Ocular Applications
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DOI：
10.1021/acsapm.0c00087
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发表时间：
2020-04-01
影响因子：
5
通讯作者：
Deguchi, Shigeru
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Isobe, Noriyuki;Tsudome, Mikiko;Deguchi, Shigeru
研究了N-乙酰化壳聚糖水凝胶的眼部应用。通过在-10 ℃下优化乙酰化剂乙酸酐（Ac 2 O）的添加，避免了原始水凝胶方案中的缺点之一，即模塑性差。这种简单但重要的优化实现了N-乙酰化壳聚糖水凝胶的制备，其具有更广泛的参数，例如更高的壳聚糖浓度和分子量，使用更温和的溶剂（乙醇代替甲醇），以及从微珠和接触镜到可以抓握的大块的任意形状。所制备的N-乙酰化壳聚糖水凝胶表现出高的透明度和完整性，给出了由高度结晶的α-甲壳素制成的纳米纤维网络。此外，该凝胶保留了可再生的特性：烘箱干燥的凝胶通过在酸浴中浸泡而重新溶胀。壳聚糖和几丁质的这些先前未被注意的优点和固有的高生物相容性提升了N-乙酰化壳聚糖水凝胶作为下一代生物衍生的软材料用于眼部应用，如隐形眼镜，人工角膜和药物递送载体。
A N-acetylated chitosan hydrogel was investigated for ocular applications. One of the drawbacks in the original hydrogel protocol, poor moldability, was circumvented by optimizing the addition of the acetylating agent, acetic acid anhydride (Ac2O), at -10 degrees C. This simple but significant optimization realized the preparation of N-acetylated chitosan hydrogels with a wider variety of parameters such as higher chitosan concentration and molecular weight, the use of a more benign solvent (ethanol replaced methanol), and the arbitral shapes ranging from microbeads and contact lenses to bulky blocks that could be gripped. The prepared N-acetylated chitosan hydrogels exhibited high transparency and integrity given the nanofibrous network made of highly crystalline a-chitin. Furthermore, the gel retained a regenerable character: an oven-dried gel was reswollen by emersion in an acid bath. These previously unnoticed advantages and the innate high biocompatibility of chitosan and chitin elevate N-acetylated chitosan hydrogel as a next-generation bio-derived soft material for ocular applications such as contact lenses, artificial corneas, and drug delivery vehicles.