Phycocyanin-Loaded Alginate-Based Hydrogel Synthesis and Characterization.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Natural Product Chemistry
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Phycocyanin, a pigment from Spirulina platensis, possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties beneficial for wound healing.
• Optimizing phycocyanin extraction is crucial for its application in advanced biomaterials like wound dressings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare different extraction methods for Spirulina platensis phycocyanin.
• To formulate and characterize alginate-based hydrogels loaded with phycocyanin for potential wound dressing applications.
• To investigate the release kinetics of phycocyanin from the hydrogel formulation.

Main Methods:

• Extraction of phycocyanin using conventional extraction (CE), direct ultrasonic-assisted extraction (direct UAE), indirect ultrasonic-assisted extraction (indirect UAE), and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE).
• Optimization of extraction parameters including temperature, time, stirring rate, and power intensity.
• Formulation and characterization of alginate-based hydrogels loaded with MAE-extracted phycocyanin using FT-IR and SEM.
• Evaluation of mechanical properties and phycocyanin release kinetics at different pH values using various kinetic models.

Main Results:

• MAE achieved the highest phycocyanin purity (Rp = 0.5 ± 0.002), while direct UAE yielded the highest concentration and antioxidant activity.
• Phycocyanin-loaded hydrogels exhibited a porous structure with largely unchanged mechanical properties.
• Phycocyanin release from the hydrogels best followed the Higuchi model, with superior fit at higher pH values (R² ≈ 1).

Conclusions:

• MAE is an effective method for obtaining high-purity phycocyanin from Spirulina platensis suitable for biomaterial applications.
• Alginate-based hydrogels loaded with phycocyanin demonstrate potential as wound dressings with controlled release characteristics.
• The Higuchi model accurately describes phycocyanin release, indicating diffusion-controlled release mechanisms, particularly at physiological pH.