Pectin’s unique physicochemical properties have been linked to a variety of reparative and regenerative processes in nature. To investigate the effect of water on pectin repair, we used a 5 mm stainless-steel uniaxial load to fracture glass phase pectin films. The fractured gel phase films were placed on a 1.5–1.8 mm thick layer of water and incubated for 8 h at room temperature and ambient humidity. There was no immersion or agitation. The repaired pectin film was subsequently assessed for its optical and mechanical properties. Light microscopy demonstrated repair of the detectable fracture area and restoration of the films’ optical properties. The burst strength of the repaired film declined to 55% of the original film. However, its resilience was restored to 87% of the original film. Finally, a comparison of the initial and post-repair fracture patterns demonstrated no recurrent fissures in the repaired glass phase films. The water-induced repair of the pectin film was superior to the optical and mechanical properties of the repaired films composed of nanocellulose fibers, sodium hyaluronate, and oxidized cellulose. We conclude that the unique physicochemical properties of pectin facilitate the water-induced self-repair of fractured pectin films.
Pectin is a plant-derived heteropolysaccharide that has been implicated in drug development, tissue engineering, and visceral organ repair. Pectin demonstrates remarkable biostability in a variety of physiologic environments but is biodegradable in water. To understand the dynamics of pectin biodegradation in basic environments, we developed a microfluidics system that facilitated the quantitative comparison of pectin films exposed to facial erosion. Pectin biodegradation was assessed using fluorescein tracer embedded in pectin, trypan blue quenching of released fluorescence, and highly sensitive microfluorimetry. The microfluidic perfusate, delivered through 6 um-pore synthetic membrane interface, demonstrated nonlinear erosion of the pectin film; 75% of tracer was released in 28 h. The microfluidics system was used to identify potential modifiers of pectin erosion. The polyphenolic compound tannic acid, loaded into citrus pectin films, demonstrated a dose-dependent decrease in pectin erosion. Tannic acid had no detectable impact on the physical properties of citrus pectin including adhesivity and cohesion. In contrast, tannic acid weakened the burst strength and cohesion of pectins derived from soy bean and potato sources. We conclude that facial erosion may explain the biostability of citrus pectin on visceral organ surfaces as well as provide a useful method for identifying modifiers of citrus pectin biodegradation.
Plant‐derived structural polymer, pectin, is the “glue” between plant cells, a biomaterial with promising performance as a sealant on visceral organs. However, the nature of bioabsorption and biodurability of pectin remains unclear. Here, we investigate the feasibility of a quantitative microfluidic perfusion assay based on photochemical quenching, to define the kinetics of pectin bioabsorption. We hypothesize that fluorescent tracers embedded into pectin biopolymers will reliably reflect predictable kinetics patterns of bioabsorption including predictable trends when modifying the chemical species used in fluorescence quenching experiments. A fluorescent tracer, Fluorescein Sodium, was embedded into high methoxyl citrus pectin. Dried Fluorescein pectin films were placed into 24‐well plates, to monitor degradation via parallel microfluidics perfusion. This perfusion was performed via micro‐perfused exogenous 0.4% Trypan Blue, an anionic hydrophilic azo dye, which was delivered into porous matrix interfacing on pectin in each well. To assess biodurability, the fluorescence of perfused pectin under quenching by dye was monitored over time using a multi‐well plate fluorescence reader (Cytofluor 4000, PerSeptive Biosystems). Our data show that consistent trends in fluorescence result during quenching experiments. When un‐perfused, Fluorescein‐embedded pectin exhibited statistically insignificant change in quantum yield over 1 week (p=0.457), suggesting that results were not impacted by substantial photobleaching over the course of experimentation. To minimize interfacial flow artifact, 6µm porous matrix provided an effective interface for observable perfusion of azo dye into pectin. During micro‐perfusion, serial measurements of fluorescence in Fluorescein pectin demonstrated exponential decline in fluorescence intensity. This quenching of fluorescent signal from Fluorescein correlated with the progressive bioabsorption of the pectin polymer. Absorption was feasibly modulated by adjusting dye volumes used in perfusion. In this in vitro assay, plant‐derived pectin exhibits predictable decay characteristics and bioabsorption kinetics when incorporated with fluorescent tracers. These tracers not only provide a quantitative measure of biodurability, but also an opportunity for guided biochemical tuning of the complex biomaterial, to improve its performance as a potential therapeutic sealant.
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