Smart Designing of Tragacanth Gum by Graft Functionalization for Advanced Materials

Abstract

Tragacanth gum is a novel polysaccharide which offers interesting features in terms of high hydrophilicity, good biocompatibility, and biodegradability. The engineering of hydrogels requires careful designing of their macromolecular structures so that desirable features may be incorporated into the material. Graft polymerization has come up as an interesting approach to develop molecules for drug delivery, wound care systems, and infection‐resistant materials. The most important aspect of graft functionalization is the proper control over physico‐chemical properties of the grafted matrix. The extent of functionalization may be governed by the grafting parameters and may lead to the chemical designing of the molecule in a controlled manner. This opens up enormous possibilities of developing materials for a wide range of applications as advanced materials.

Moringa oleifera—Storage Stability, In Vitro-Simulated Digestion and Cytotoxicity Assessment of Microencapsulated Extract

“…Finally, it has also been described that tragacanth structural relaxation can influences compound diffusivity within microcapsules and thus modulate polyphenol release [32]. One of the main factors affecting this relaxation is the environmental pH since both under or above the isoelectric point of tragacanth, this gum may either take or give protons (protonation or ionization of carboxyl groups) and lead to a decreased (lower pH) or increased (higher pH) polyphenol diffusion from the matrix [33,34].…”

Gum Tragacanth (GT): A Versatile Biocompatible Material beyond Borders

“…GT has a long successful history in food and pharmaceutical formulation; furthermore, it has been gradually found to be a useful material in other areas of biomedicine, including waste management, green synthesis of nanoparticles, drug delivery strategies, and tissue engineering and regenerative medicine [ 11 ]. The main reasons for the extended usage of GT could be summarized as its biocompatibility and ease of chemical modifications [ 88 , 109 ]. However, the high cost and availability of xanthan gum (mostly found in Iran and Turkey) as a cheaper competitor limit the demand of GT as regards use in pharmaceutical and industrial settings [ 6 , 110 ].…”

Silver Nanoparticle-Embedded Nanogels for Infection-Resistant Surfaces

“…AgNPs passivated by biopolymers hold a profound potential since they can ensure a controlled release profile of these metal NPs and provide the functionality to anchor on the material surface. Biopolymers are naturally occurring polymers that have excellent tissue compatibility and a wide range of functional groups such as hydroxyl, carboxyl, and amino groups . Thus, AgNP-loaded biopolymeric nanogels can be utilized for the development of cotton-based antimicrobial wound dressing .…”