Synthesis of polysaccharide chemical gels by gamma-irradiation

Recently many biodegradable hydrogel systems have been developed in the area of controlled drug delivery. In previous studies, the authors prepared biodegradable hydrogels by crosslinking natural polymers, such as albumin and dextran, using gamma-irradiation. Natural polymers were functionalized by introducing double bonds through reaction with glycidyl acrylate. The functionalized polymers were then crosslinked to form chemical gels by exposure to gamma-irradiation. In this study, they examined the ability of various polysaccharides to form chemical gels by gamma-irradiation. Dextran, alginic acid, hyaluronic acid, benzyl esters of hyaluronic acid, and gellan were functionalized. The effects of the polymer concentration and the gamma-irradiation dose on the hydrogel formation were examined. All the polysaccharides used formed chemical gels, although the extent of gel formation was different. For alginic acid, hyaluronic acid, and benzyl ester of hyaluronic acid at 25% of esterification degree, the chemical gels were formed at lower polymer concentration and at lower gamma-irradiation dose, if the solution was acidified to pH 3. The ability to form chemical gels with various natural polymers would be useful in the development of controlled drug delivery systems