Biophysical functionality in polysaccharides: from Lego-blocks to nano-particles

Abstract

The objective of the paper is to show the very important biophysical concepts that have been developed with polysaccharides. In particular, an attempt will be made to relate "a posteriori" the fundamental aspects, both experimental and theoretical, with some industrial applications of polysaccharide-based materials. The overview of chain conformational aspects includes relationships between topological features and local dynamics, exemplified for some naturally occurring carbohydrate polymers. Thus, by using simulation techniques and computational studies, the physicochemical properties of aqueous solutions of polysaccharides are interpreted. The relevance of conformational disorder-order transitions, chain aggregation, and phase separation to the underlying role of the ionic contribution to these processes is discussed. We stress the importance of combining information from analysis of experimental data with that from statistical-thermodynamic models for understanding the conformation, size, and functional stability of industrially important polysaccharides. The peculiar properties of polysaccharides in industrial applications are summarized for the particularly important example of nanoparticles production, a field of growing relevance and scientific interest.

“The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” of Chitosans

“…This is an important factor that makes the difference between polysaccharides otherwise undistinguishable on the basis of the rule “ similia similibus solvuntur ” (similar substances are miscible). This feature is clearly shown by comparing the configurational properties of several glucans, such as cellulose, amylose, pullulan, β-glucan [ 52 , 53 ], where flexibility and stability of the crystalline order play the major role. Therefore, for any given polysaccharide chain, solubility can increase (or decrease) depending on whether random (or regular) substitution is achieved and whether substituents can improve or not the interactions with the solvent.…”

Polysaccharides as Nanocarriers for Therapeutic Applications

“…Polysaccharides have many functional groups such as free carboxyl and hydroxyl groups, distributed along the backbone structure, which are responsible for their chemical versatility and the wide range of biological activities. 29 The multiple hydroxyl functionalities of the sugars lead to several linearly linked chains. Thus, we include naturally occurring, chemically modified sugars with chemical and structural variability that is not found among the polynucleotides and polypeptides.…”

Novel Alginate‐Gelatin Hybrid Nanoparticle for Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering Applications

“…Biocompatible nanosystem can be achieved by modulating different parameters such as fabrication techniques, polymers used for its synthesis, and types of cross-linking agents; however, among these, polymers play the most significant role as they not only enter framework that carries drug but also interact with biological fluid and cells in the in vivo system [5][6][7][8]. Using natural polymers such as alginate, chitosan, and gelatin has evoked great interest in the field of nanotechnology as these polymers exhibit all the above-mentioned properties and in addition they are also easily biodegradable [9][10][11][12][13].…”