Anticoagulant hydrogels derived from crosslinked dextran. Part I: Synthesis, characterization and antithrombic...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Hydrogels are widely used in biomedical applications.
• Developing hydrogels with specific functionalities like antithrombic activity is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel hydrogels by functionalizing Sephadex derivatives with amino acids.
• To evaluate the swelling properties and antithrombic activity of the prepared hydrogels.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of hydrogels by covalently attaching various amino acids to Sephadex derivatives.
• Characterization of hydrogel swelling capacity in buffer solutions.
• Assessment of antithrombic activity and thrombin adsorption using affinity constants.

Main Results:

• Synthesized insoluble, hydrophilic hydrogels capable of absorbing 7 to 19 volumes of buffer.
• Demonstrated a correlation between swelling ratio and antithrombic activity.
• Determined affinity constants for hydrogel-thrombin interaction (1-2 X 10^6 L/M), suggesting thrombin adsorption contributes to anticoagulant effects.

Conclusions:

• Amino acid-modified Sephadex hydrogels exhibit significant swelling and antithrombic properties.
• Thrombin adsorption is a likely mechanism for the observed anticoagulant effect.
• These novel hydrogels show promise for applications requiring antithrombotic surfaces.