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Updated: Aug 8, 2025

The Synthesis of RGD-functionalized Hydrogels as a Tool for Therapeutic Applications
Published on: October 7, 2016
Tuning the electrostatic interaction between rice protein and carboxymethyl cellulose toward hydrophilic composites
Ying Wan1, Chen Lin1, Yanan Li1
1Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; National Engineering Research Center for Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Jiangsu Provincial Research Centre for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
Abstract:
Protein-polysaccharide interactions have attracted much attention due to inherent potential in generating new structures and functionalities. In the present study, by simply mixing rice proteins (RPs) with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) at pH 12.0 prior neutralization, novel protein-polysaccharide complexes (RCs) were structured with water dispersibility and functionalities highly dependent on the degree of substitution (DS) and molecular weight (Mw) of CMC. Specifically, the water-dispersibility of RPs was increased from 1.7 % to 93.5 % at a RPs/CMC mass ratio of 10:1 with CMC of DS1.2 (Mw = 250 kDa). Fluorescence and circular dichroism spectra showed suppressed folding tendency of RPs by CMC during neutralizing the basicity, indicating controllable protein conformations. Furthermore, the structures of RCs became more unfolded for CMC with a larger DS or a smaller Mw. This enabled RCs with highly controllable functionalities in terms of emulsifying and foaming properties, which may have promising applications in developing food matrix with customized structures and textures.

