Abstract

AbstractNovel ionizable hydrogels were prepared from poly(acrylic acid) and dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate monomer employing template polymerization technique as an alternative to traditional physical and chemical crosslinking. The mode of interaction, as proved by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), was multiple H‐bonding between the tertiary amino group of the monomer and the carboxylic groups of the polymer. The hydrogels represented suitable matrices for enzyme immobilization. The effect of varying the polymer–monomer molar ratio on the swelling kinetics and parameters was investigated. The dynamic swelling isotherm exhibited a Fickian mode of penetrant sorption and a plateau that increases with the amino group content. A polymer complex of molar ratio (polymer:monomer) 0.5:0.8 had a weight swelling ratio of 10 and 7 at pHs 3 and 8, respectively. The proven pH sensitivity together with the amphoteric character of these hydrogels make them good candidates for another bioapplication such as oral delivery systems of therapeutic peptides and proteins. The structural integrity of the hydrogels was proved by their swelling reversibility. β‐Galactosidase, as an acidic model enzyme, was immobilized covalently on the synthesized hydrogels. The maximum enzyme velocity (Vmax) was enhanced to 19 µmol/min/mg, for polycomplex of molar ratio 0.5:0.8, compared with 3.2 µmol/min/mg for the free enzyme. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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