Abstract
Systems consisting of a polyelectrolyte solution in contact with a cross-linked polyelectrolyte network are ubiquitous (e.g., biofilms, drug-delivering hydrogels, and mammalian extracellular matrices), yet the underlying physics governing these interactions is not well understood. Here, we find that carboxymethyl cellulose, a polyelectrolyte commonly found in processed foods and associated with inflammation and obesity, compresses the colonic mucus hydrogel (a key regulator of host-microbe interactions and a protective barrier) in mice. The extent of this polyelectrolyte-induced compression is enhanced by the degree of polymer negative charge. Through animal experiments and numerical calculations, we find that this phenomenon can be described by a Donnan mechanism. Further, the observed behavior can be quantitatively described by a simple, one-parameter model. This work suggests that polymer charge should be considered when developing food products because of its potential role in modulating the protective properties of colonic mucus.
Highlights
In this work, we sought to understand how polymer charge influences polymer-driven mucus compression
The colonic mucus hydrogel is a critical barrier in the colon it is the nexus of host−microbe interactions and it protects against microbial infiltration and physical insults.[1]
We first sought to test two hypothesis: (1) the colonic mucus hydrogel is thin when mice are fed carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) because the mucus hydrogel is compressed; (2) the mechanism by which CMC interacts with mucus is different than that of an emulsifier polysorbate 80 (Tween 80) because of the differences in their physicochemical properties
Summary
We sought to understand how polymer charge influences polymer-driven mucus compression. The human diet contains many charged polymers (i.e., polyelectrolytes), which are predominately negatively charged.[9,10]
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