Abstract
In the present study, the modification of branched polyethyleneimine (b-PEI) was carried out using mesquite gum (MG) to improve its hemocompatibility to be used in biomedical applications. In the copolymer synthesis process (carboxymethylated mesquite gum grafted polyethyleneimine copolymer (CBX-MG-PEI), an MG carboxymethylation reaction was initially carried out (carboxymethylated mesquite gum (CBX-MG). Subsequently, the functionalization between CBX-MG and b-PEI was carried out using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) as crosslinking agents. The synthesis products were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Thermogravimetric analysis showed that CBX-MG and CBX-MG-PEI presented a lower decomposition temperature than MG. The CBX-MG-PEI has a high buffer capacity in the pH range of 4 to 7, similar to the b-PEI. In addition, the CBX-MG-PEI showed an improvement in hemocompatibility in comparison with the b-PEI. The results showed a non-hemolytic property at doses lower than 0.1 µg/mL (CBX-MG-PEI). These results allow us to propose that this copolymer be used in transfection, polymeric nanoparticles, and biomaterials due to its physicochemical and hemocompatibility properties.
Highlights
Branched polyethyleneimine (b-PEI) is one of the most widely used synthetic polycations because of its chemical functionality arising from the high density of amines [1]
B-PEI has many potential applications due to its polycationic character and water solubility [3,4,5]. It has been used as an additive to improve the specificity and efficiency of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for DNA amplification [6]; enzyme immobilization [7,8]; construction of biosensors [9,10]; drug delivery [11,12] and gene therapy [13,14]
According to Moreno-Trejo et al, these results were reported for the characterization of purified Mesquite gum (MG), and this material was used to synthesize silver nanoparticles and stabilize essential citrus oil nanoemulsions [39,48]
Summary
Branched polyethyleneimine (b-PEI) is one of the most widely used synthetic polycations because of its chemical functionality arising from the high density of amines [1]. BPEI with a molecular weight of 25 kDa has been reported as one of the polymers most used as a non-viral vector for the transport of nucleic acids due to its ability to form polyplexes with nucleic acids through electrostatic interactions between the amino groups of b-PEI and the phosphate groups of nucleic acids [15,16,17]. This polymer has shown high transfection efficiencies and a high buffer capacity. The latter property is associated with the ability of this polymer to facilitate the endosomal escape of nucleic acids (“proton sponge effect”) [18,19]
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