Functional Properties of Two-Component Hydrogel Systems Based on Gelatin and Polyvinyl Alcohol—Experimental Studies Supported by Computational Analysis

Abstract

The presented research is focused on an investigation of the effect of the addition of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to a gelatin-based hydrogel on the functional properties of the resulting material. The main purpose was to experimentally determine and compare the properties of hydrogels differing from the content of PVA in the blend. Subsequently, the utility of these matrices for the production of an immobilized invertase preparation with improved operational stability was examined. We also propose a useful computational tool to predict the properties of the final material depending on the proportions of both components in order to design the feature range of the hydrogel blend desired for a strictly specified immobilization system (of enzyme/carrier type). Based on experimental research, it was found that an increase in the PVA content in gelatin hydrogels contributes to obtaining materials with a visibly higher packaging density, degree of swelling, and water absorption capacity. In the case of hydrolytic degradation and compressive strength, the opposite tendency was observed. The functionality studies of gelatin and gelatin/PVA hydrogels for enzyme immobilization indicate the very promising potential of invertase entrapped in a gelatin/PVA hydrogel matrix as a stable biocatalyst for industrial use. The molecular modeling analysis performed in this work provides qualitative information about the tendencies of the macroscopic parameters observed with the increase in the PVA and insight into the chemical nature of these dependencies.

An Azomethine-H-Based Fluorogenic Sensor for Formic Acid

“…Notably, the addition of Az-H to the xerogel did not significantly influence the mechanical properties of the sensing materials, as the Young’s moduli of the Az-H/gelatin and pure gelatin xerogels were calculated to be 0.398 ± 0.067 and 0.413 ± 0.060 GPa, respectively. These values are in agreement with previous literature on gelatin and wood-based xerogels. , …”

“…These values are in agreement with previous literature on gelatin and wood-based xerogels. 39,40 Az-H Fluorescence and Rates of Photoisomerization on Gelatin Thin Films Are Enhanced in a [HCO 2 H]-Dependent Manner. Az-H and gelatin xerogels were subsequently exposed to varying concentrations of HCO 2 H vapor in ∼2.5 cm 3 containers for 1 h (Figure S6 in the Supporting Information).…”

In silico approaches to investigate enzyme immobilization: a comprehensive systematic review

“…For example, Labus et al did not consider the probable effect of solvent, so their experimental and in silico results were not compatible. 75 Another reason can be time limitation, because some processes cannot be reached in limited time (ps to μs), so MD cannot predict or clarify some processes. Various sampling techniques, such as metadynamics, hyperdynamics, and accelerated MD (aMD), have been developed to overcome this obstacle.…”

Integrative lymph node-mimicking models created with biomaterials and computational tools to study the immune system

“…For example, an in silico model can create the theoretical representation of polymer network to fabricate hydrogels with an in silico determined porous structure and mesh size, resulting in better control when the hydrogel is used for drug delivery [ 296 ]. Furthermore, properties such as the crosslinking condition, embrittlement phenomena, water absorption capacity, surface biophysical features, and degradation profiles can also be virtually emulated and tested in silico before hydrogel fabrication [ [297] , [298] , [299] , [300] ]. The organoid developmental processes, such as self-assembled formation, can be studied and understood by computational multicellular modeling.…”