Due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, hydrophility, technological properties and vast availability, polysaccharides are widely used as natural non-toxic polymers in different branches of industry (food, cosmetic, textile, construction industries). Exopolysaccharides (as dextran, pullulan) have recently taken up a significant position in pharmaceutical industry. Alginate has an irreplaceable role in biomedicine, since its hydrogel form is successfully applied for immobilization of a wide range of enzymes, therapeutics, biochemical agents and different kinds of microorganisms and cells (herbal, animal or human). Alginate microspheres and microcapsules are used for controlled release of biologically active molecules, as well as cell carriers in tissue engineering. Special benefits are brought by the simplicity of configuration of alginate hydrogel, including the possibility of the controlled production of micro-and nanoparticles. Taking into account a very important role of alginates in the form of hydrogel in biomedicine, in this paper a specific attention is paid on the preparation and application of alginate matrices, microspheres and microcapsules that may have essential and unexchangeable usage/application. This paper therefore displays various possibilities of use of polysaccharide matrices for biomolecules, polysaccharide as excipients of pharmaceutical products for oral or local application, and provides a review of the examples of innovative applications.

Chemically modified Lagenaria vulgaris shell (ccLVB) was tested as a new sorbent for the removal of Ni(II) from aqueous solution, in batch conditions. The sorption process was very fast reaching equilibrium in about 20 min. Ni(II) sorption is almost invariant in the pH range from 3 to 6. Sorption kinetics followed pseudo-second order, intraparticle diffusion and Chrastil?s models, which suggest that both surface reaction and diffusion were the rate-limiting steps. Equilibria experimental results are well fitted by Langmuir and Temkin sorption isotherm models, indicating mixed adsorption process. The maximum biosorption capacity of ccLVB for Ni(II) was found to be 84.51 mg g-1. The calculated thermodynamic parameters showed that the biosorption of nickel on ccLVB was feasible, spontaneous and exothermic at 25-45?C. The desorption experiments showed that the ccLVB could be reused for five cycles without significant loss in sorption capacity. Release of Na+ ions from the biosorbent during sorption of Ni(II) reveals that the main sorption mechanism is ion exchange. Presented study suggests that ccLVB can be used effectively for the removal of Ni(II) ions from aqueous solution.

The intention of this chapter is to contribute in clarification of nanoparticle synthesis and biocomplexes based on exopolysaccharide, green synthetic method development, their physico-chemical characterization by modern spectroscopy, as well as testing of their antimicrobial activity. Silver nanoparticles of polysaccharide type have scientific interest, but practical importance too, because of their application in pharmaceutical and cosmetic product development due to proven antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. On the other hand, the biocomplexes based on exopolysaccharides are important in treatment of biometal deficiency in human and veterinary medicine, as well as in metal ion transporting in organism. Despite a number of studies of this kind of complexes, the investigations of effect of their structure to pharmaco-biological activity are still interesting. It is important that question of interaction between reducing and stabilizing agents with metal ions is still opened. In this respect, the presented chapter offers further progress in the examination of silver nanoparticles and cobalt biocomplex synthesis with dextran oligosaccharides and its derivatives (such as dextran sulfate and carboxymethyl dextran). The complex structure, spectroscopic characterization, and the spectra-structure correlation have been analyzed by different Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic techniques combined with energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and surface plasmon resonance UV-Vis methods.

Izvod U radu je ispitivana mogućnost primene otpadne biomase iz procesa proizvodnje orahovog likera, kao jeftinog biosorbenta, za uklanjanje Pb(II) jona iz vodenog rastvora u stacionarnim uslovima. Strukturna svojstva biosorbenta okarakterisana su pomoću FTIR spektroskopije. Biosorpcioni potencijal otpadne biomase mladog ploda oraha proučavan je u funkciji: pH (2-6), kontaknog vremena (0-120 min), količine biosorbenta (2-20 g) i početne koncentracije Pb(II) jona (10-120 mg dm-3), pri temperaturi od 25 °C, uz mešanje (120 rpm) i konstantnoj jonskoj jačini (0,02 mol dm-3). Ravnotežna biosorpcija Pb(II) jona je postignuta nakon 50 min, u opsegu pH 4-5. Eefikasnost uklanjanja Pb(II) jona od 84% postiže se pri početnoj koncentraciji sorbata od 15 mg dm-3 i dozi biosorbenta od 6 g po dm 3 sorbata. Biosorpciju najbolje opisuje Langmuir model (R 2 ≥ 0,990). Maksimalni biosorpcioni kapacitet otpadne biomase mladog ploda oraha za Pb(II) jone na 25 °C i pH 4,5 iznosi 19,23 mg g-1. Najbolje slaganje sa eksperimentalnim rezultatima, u temperaturnom opsegu 25-40 °C, pokazuje kinetički model pseudo-drugog reda.