Hollow alginate microfibers (od = 1.3 mm, id = 0.9 mm, th = 400 µm, L = 3.5 cm) comprised of 2% (w/v) medium molecular weight alginate cross-linked with 0.9 M CaCl₂ were fabricated to model outward diffusion capture by 2D fluorescent microscopy. A two-fold comparison of diffusivity determination based on real-time diffusion of Fluorescein isothiocyanate molecular weight (FITC MW) markers was co...

  During last two decades, polysaccharides such as alginate (Alg) alone and in combination with other biopolymers are widely used in vaccine and drug delivery systems. The aim of the present work was to investigate the potential utility of microparticles made of alginate (Alg) as new vehicles for improving nasal vaccine delivery. For this purpose, diphtheria toxoid (DT) was chosen as a model an...

The exopolysaccharide alginate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was shown to be important in determining the degree of cell detachment from an agar surface. Nonmucoid strain 8822 gave rise to 50-fold more sloughed cells than mucoid strains 8821 and 8830. Alginate anchors the bacteria to the agar surface, thereby influencing the extent of detachment. The role of the P. aeruginosa alginate lyase in the ...

The present studies were undertaken to evaluate the in vitro gel stability of the hydrogels alginate and agarose. Gel strength (of alginate and agarose) and protein diffusion (of alginate only) were shown to correlate with gel stability and to be useful techniques to monitor gel stability over time. The gel strengths of alginate and agarose were followed for a 90-day period using gel strength a...

Marine microbes use alginate lyases to degrade and catabolize alginate, a major cell wall matrix polysaccharide of brown seaweeds. Microbes frequently contain multiple, apparently redundant alginate lyases, raising the question of whether these enzymes have complementary functions. We report here on the molecular cloning and functional characterization of three exo-type oligoalginate lyases (Oa...

OBJECTIVE We investigated the mechanism of antihypertensive effects of sodium alginate oligosaccharides, which are enzymatic products of high-molecular-weight natural alginate from seaweeds, in Dahl salt-sensitive (Dahl S) rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS Dahl S rats fed a high-salt (4% NaCl) diet were subcutaneously administered sodium alginate oligosaccharides (60 mg/day using a continuous osmot...

Several aspects of alginate and PHB synthesis in Azotobacter vinelandii at a molecular level have been elucidated in articles published during the last ten years. It is now clear that alginate and PHB synthesis are under a very complex genetic control. Genetic modification of A. vinelandii has produced a number of very interesting mutants which have particular traits for alginate production. On...

Aqueous chitosan possesses attractive interaction capacities with various molecular groups that can be involved in hydrogen bonds and electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. In the present paper, we report on the direct determination of chitosan–mucin molecular pair interactions at various solvent conditions as compared to alginate–mucin interactions. Two chitosans of high molecular weight ...

An oleaginous fraction obtained from an alcohol extract of the fruit of Pterodon pubescens Benth. (FHPp) was microencapsulated in polymeric systems. These systems were developed using a complex coacervation method and consisted of alginate/medium-molecular-weight chitosan (F1-MC), alginate/ chitosan with greater than 75% deacetylation (F2-MC), and alginate/low-molecular-weight chitosan (F3-MC)....