Lignin-Carbohydrate Complexes Based Spherical Biocarriers: Preparation, Characterization, and Biocompatibility

Houkuan Zhao,Shaoqiong Zeng,Yimin Xie,Peng Wang,Jinling Li

doi:10.1155/2017/4915185

Houkuan Zhao, Shaoqiong Zeng + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/4915185

Copy DOI

Abstract

Spherical biocarriers were prepared with lignin-carbohydrate complexes isolated from ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba L.) xylem. The specific surface and average pore size of the biocarriers were 17.15 m2 g−1 and 21.59 nm, respectively. The carriers were stable in solution at pH 4.0~9.5. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum indicated that the spherical carrier was composed of lignin and polysaccharides and had a typical lignin-carbohydrate complex (LCC) structure. The contents of galactose, lignin, and total sugar were 3.30%, 23.9%, and 64.62%, respectively, making the spherical biocarriers have good physical strength and compatible with hepatocytes. It was observed using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that liver cells adhered to the spherical biocarriers during culture. Cell counting indicated that the proliferation of liver cells in the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group. The albumin secretion (ALB) value and glucose consumption of the human hepatocytes were increased by 51.7% and 38.6%, respectively, by the fourth day when cultivated on the biocarriers. The results indicate that ginkgo LCC is very biocompatible and shows promise for the use as a biomaterial in the culture of human hepatocytes.

Highlights

Lignin is one of the most abundant natural products in the land-plant kingdom and is formed through phenolic oxidative coupling processes [1]
(Galacto)glucomannan is the most common one in the softwood hemicelluloses, which is considered to be linked to lignin moieties by chemical bonds [9]. It is a branched heteropolysaccharide consisting of two glucose epimers, β-D-glucopyranose and β-D-mannopyranose, and galactose units which are bioactive for hepatocytes
Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis confirmed that the spherical biocarriers had a typical lignin-carbohydrate complexes (LCC) structure composed of lignin and polysaccharides

Summary

Introduction

Lignin is one of the most abundant natural products in the land-plant kingdom and is formed through phenolic oxidative coupling processes [1]. Galactosylated substrates are useful biomaterials in the preparation of scaffolds for hepatocyte cultivation because of their specific interaction of the galactose moiety with the cell surface ASGPR [20]. Yang et al [26] and Wang et al [27] investigated the ability of hydrogels prepared with galactosylated acrylate (GAC) and poly (Nisopropylacrylamide) (NIPAAm) as scaffolds to proliferate hepatocytes and maintain the function of albumin and urea synthesis They found that the cell adhesion and proliferation of hepatocytes occurred primarily on the surface of the hydrogels, suggesting that the incorporation of GAC containing galactose units could stimulate cell adsorption and growth, as compared with conventional PNIPAAm hydrogel. Wu et al reported that hydrogel prepared from artificial LCC, that is, dehydrogenation polymer(DHP-) galactose complex, has good biocompatibility with human hepatocytes [28]. The metabolic activities of the cells, including albumin secretion and glucose consumption, were determined

Materials and Methods

Results and Discussion

Conclusions