Protein adsorption using novel carboxymethyl-curdlan microspheres

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biochemistry
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Curdlan, a polysaccharide, is poorly soluble in water.
• Developing water-soluble curdlan derivatives is crucial for new applications.
• Microsphere formulations offer advantages in drug delivery and adsorption processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize carboxymethyl-curdlan (CC) and prepare CC microspheres.
• To characterize the synthesized CC microspheres.
• To evaluate the adsorption capacity of CC microspheres for Bovine serum albumin (BSA).

Main Methods:

• Carboxymethyl-curdlan synthesis via reaction with monochloroacetic acid.
• Preparation of CC microspheres using a W/O/W emulsion technique.
• Characterization using SEM, FTIR, and particle size analysis; adsorption studies conducted via batch experiments.

Main Results:

• Spherical, uniform, mono-disperse CC microspheres with a diameter of 260μm were successfully prepared.
• Maximum BSA adsorption capacity of 168mg/g achieved under optimal conditions (pH 4.7, 35°C, 4mg/mL BSA).
• Adsorption followed Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetics; microspheres showed reusability.

Conclusions:

• Carboxymethyl-curdlan microspheres are effective adsorbents for proteins like BSA.
• The optimized conditions provide a high adsorption capacity.
• The regenerable nature of CC microspheres enhances their practical applicability.