Synthesis and characterization of carboxymethyl cellulose from pine needles for biomedical and regenerative medicine applications

Abstract

______________________________________________________________________________________Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is one of the most widely used components of hydrogel for biomedical applications as its precursor cellulose is the most abundant biological macromolecule on the Earth. Recent years have seen a remarkable increase in CMC synthesis from various plant sources. In the present study we have utilised cheer pine needles (Pinus spp.) due to its abundance and easy availability in Himalayan regions across India. The cellulose was extracted from pine needles. Then, the etherification process was used to prepare CMC from pine needle cellulose, with sodium hydroxide and monochloroacetic acid (MCA). CMC yield, degree of substitution, water retention capacity, oil retention capacity, ash content, and CMC content were determined by comparing obtained CMC to standard CMC. The purity of the synthesised CMC is represented by CMC content. The prepared CMC had a purity of 10 % and a yield of 110 %. The degree of substitution, water retention capacity, and oil retention capacity were all determined to be 0.02, 8.4 g/g, and 4g/g, respectively. The ash content of the synthesised CMC was calculated to be 6 %. The majority of characteristics were either equivalent to commercial CMC or superior to it therefore the synthesised product can be used as a potential component to fabricate biomaterials for biomedical applications.