A pH-sensitive hydrogel based on carboxymethylated konjac glucomannan crosslinked by sodium trimetaphosphate: Synthesis, characterization, swelling behavior and controlled drug release

Chongyang Zhu; Xiaojun Zhang; Jing Gan; Donghui Geng; Xiaojia Bian; Yongqiang Cheng; Ning Tang

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.123392

A pH-sensitive hydrogel based on carboxymethylated konjac glucomannan crosslinked by sodium trimetaphosphate: Synthesis, characterization, swelling behavior and controlled drug release

Int J Biol Macromol. 2023 Mar 31:232:123392. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.123392. Epub 2023 Jan 23.

Authors

Chongyang Zhu¹, Xiaojun Zhang¹, Jing Gan², Donghui Geng¹, Xiaojia Bian¹, Yongqiang Cheng¹, Ning Tang³

Affiliations

¹ Beijing Key Laboratory of Functional Food from Plant Resources, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, PR China.
² College of Life Science, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong 264000, PR China.
³ Beijing Key Laboratory of Functional Food from Plant Resources, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, PR China. Electronic address: ningtang@cau.edu.cn.

PMID: 36702219
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.123392

Abstract

The pH-sensitive hydrogel consisting of carboxymethylated konjac glucomannan (CMKGM) and sodium trimetaphosphate (STMP) was prepared for a potential intestinal targeted delivery system. Both the CMKGM and the CMKGM hydrogel were characterized by FT-IR spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The Congo red and atomic force microscope (AFM) results showed a coil-to-helix transition of CMKGM in alkaline conditions with the degree of substitution (DS) increased from 0.20 to 0.49. Rheological measurements indicated that the DS and the STMP content collectively influence the mechanical stiffness and swelling properties of the obtained hydrogels. In addition, the swelling behavior of the hydrogels revealed that they were sensitive to pH value changes and were following a Korsmeyer-Peppas gastrointestinal release behavior, indicating that the release was controlled by non-Fickian diffusion. Furthermore, all the results suggested that the prepared pH-sensitive hydrogel may serve as a potential biomaterial for the intestine-targeted delivery system.

Keywords: Carboxymethylated konjac glucomannan; Controlled drug release; Hydrogel; Sodium trimetaphosphate; pH-sensitive.

MeSH terms

Drug Liberation
Hydrogels* / chemistry
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared

Substances

(1-6)-alpha-glucomannan
trimetaphosphoric acid
Hydrogels