Aminated polysaccharides as bile acid sorbents: in vitro study

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Biomaterials Science
• Adsorption Technology

Background:

• Development of effective sorbent materials is crucial for applications like bile acid sequestration.
• Existing sorbents such as Cholestyramine have limitations that necessitate the exploration of novel materials.
• Polysaccharides offer a versatile and potentially biocompatible platform for designing new sorbents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel polysaccharide-based sorbents with tertiary and quaternary ammonium groups.
• To evaluate the in vitro sorption capacity and affinity of these new sorbents for cholic acid.
• To compare the performance of these novel sorbents against Cholestyramine.

Main Methods:

• Cross-linking of dextran, pullulan, and microcrystalline cellulose with 1-chloro-2,3-epoxypropane.
• Functionalization of cross-linked polymers with amino or quaternary ammonium groups using specific reagents.
• In vitro equilibrium sorption studies of cholic acid and dynamic dissociation studies of formed complexes.

Main Results:

• All synthesized polysaccharide-based sorbents demonstrated higher affinity for cholic acid than Cholestyramine.
• Dextran-based sorbents exhibited the highest sorption affinity, influenced by amino group content, basicity, and alkyl chain length.
• An optimal swelling porosity was identified for maximizing cholic acid affinity, and lower dissociation rates correlated with higher sorption affinity.

Conclusions:

• Polysaccharide-based sorbents functionalized with amino and quaternary ammonium groups are effective for cholic acid sorption.
• Dextran-based sorbents represent a promising class of materials for bile acid binding applications.
• Sorbent properties like swelling porosity and chemical structure critically influence sorption capacity and affinity.