Wetting characteristics and blood clotting on surfaces of acylated chitins

Influence of rheology of dispersion media in the preparation of polymeric microspheres through emulsification method

Chitosan microspheres as drug delivery system have attained importance and attracted the attention of researchers in last few years. This study was aimed toward the elucidation of the effect of viscosity of external oil phase on the properties of microspheres prepared by emulsification method. Chitosan microspheres were prepared utilizing oil phase of different viscosity viz. castor oil, heavy liquid paraffin, light liquid paraffin and mixture of light paraffin, and petroleum ether (1:1 v/v ratio). Microspheres prepared in highly viscous castor oil exhibited an average size of 11.52+/-0.57 microm with a percentage drug entrapment of 43.12+/-2.14. On the other hand, very small microspheres of 3.15+/-0.04 microm and 68.87+/-1.03% drug entrapment were obtained when mixture of liquid paraffin and petroleum ether was utilized as oil phase. Effect of viscosity on percent mucoadhesion, percent drug entrapment, zeta potential, percent process yield, etc. of microspheres has been observed. In vitro drug release in phosphate buffer pH 7.4 was determined for different batch of microspheres. The results revealed a difference in the drug release pattern of the different microspheres prepared as a function of viscosity of different oil phase. Use of low viscose oil resulted in the formulation of spherical and small size microspheres. This work was a part of our ongoing thrust and project to develop microparticulate drug delivery system.

Metal oxide surface charge mediated hemostasis

Blood coagulates faster upon contact with polar glasslike surfaces than on nonpolar plastic surfaces; this phenomenon is commonly termed the glass effect. However, the variable hemostatic response that we report here for contact-activated coagulation by different metal oxides, all of which are polar substrates, requires a refinement of this simple polarity model of how inorganic metal oxides activate the intrinsic pathway of blood coagulation. To our knowledge, the role of metal oxide surface charge as determined at the physiological pH and Ca2+ concentration of blood has not been previously investigated. We find that basic oxides with an isoelectric point above the pH of blood are anticoagulant while acidic oxides with an isoelectric point below the pH of blood are procoagulant. Using a thromboelastograph, we find that the onset time for coagulation and rate of coagulation post-initiation depend on both the sign and the magnitude of the initial surface charge density of the metal oxide. This work presents a useful strategy based on a quantifiable material parameter to select metal oxides to elicit a predictable and tunable biological response when they are in contact with blood.

Wet spun chitosan-collagen fibers, their chemical N-modifications, and blood compatibility

Based on an in vitro test for an improvement of the blood compatibility of chitin by blending with tropocollagen, we prepared a novel biocompatible blended fiber and its chemically N-modified fibers. Each (1 g/30 ml) of a clear mixed solution of chitosan with tropocollagen or collagen and a clear solution of chitosan itself in aqueous 2% acetic acid-methanol (2:1, v/v) was spun through a viscose-type spinneret into an aqueous 5% ammonia solution containing 40-43% ammonium sulfate at room temperature to afford a white fiber of chitosan-tropocollagen blends (1.08-1.65 g/denier for the tenacity and 10.9-43.2% for the elongation). The tropocollagen content up to 50% by weight) in the blended fiber affected little their tenacity and elongation values. The blended fiber was chemically N-modified at the fiber state by treatment with a series of carboxylic anhydrides and aldehydes to afford the corresponding N-modified fiber (0.86-1.31 g/denier for the tenacity and 8.0-12.1% for the elongation). A transparent blended hydrogel of N-acetylchitosan (chitin) with tropocollagen was produced from the above mixed solution by treatment with acetic anhydride, and its membrane and sponge sheet were also prepared from the hydrogel.

Glutaraldehyde cross-linked chitosan microspheres as a long acting biodegradable drug delivery vehicle: studies on the in vitro release of mitoxantrone and in vivo degradation of microspheres in rat muscle

Chitosan microspheres were prepared from 74% deacetylated chitin by the glutaraldehyde cross-linking of an aqueous acetic acid dispersion of chitosan in a mixture of liquid paraffin and petroleum ether stabilized using sorbitan sesquioleate as the surfactant. Cross-linking and hardening of the spherical particles were achieved by the addition of glutaraldehyde-saturated toluene through the organic phase. A relatively novel antineoplastic agent, mitoxantrone, was incorporated into the microspheres and the drug release was studied in vitro into phosphate buffer for over 4 weeks at 27 degrees C. Drug release was found to be effectively controlled by the extent of cross-linking. Only about 25% of the incorporated drug was released over 36 days from microspheres of high cross-linking density. Implantation of placebo chitosan microspheres in the skeletal muscle of rats was carried out in order to assess the biocompatibility and biodegradability of the microspheres. Histological analysis showed that the microspheres were well tolerated by the living tissue. However, no significant biodegradation of the material was noticed over a period of 3 months in the skeletal muscle of rats. Data obtained indicate the possibility of using cross-linked chitosan microspheres as a drug carrier for sustained drug release for very long periods.

Polyvinyl alcohol plasma deposited nylon 4 membrane for hemodialysis

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a hydrophilic and blood compatible material, but it is easily hydrolyzed in aqueous solution. Various methods, including chemical crosslinking and gamma-ray irradiation, have been investigated by many researchers for overcoming the instability of PVA in aqueous solution. This study suggests a new hemodialysis membrane, which is prepared by plasma depositing vinylacetate (VAc) onto annealled nylon 4 membrane, followed by hydrolysis treatment. This improves the blood compatibility of nylon 4 and overcomes the hydrolysis problem of PVA. In addition to conventional plasma deposition, the plasma initiated interpenetrating network (IPN) method is also investigated. The new hemodialysis membranes prepared by both conventional plasma deposited VAc onto nylon 4 (PPVA/N4) and IPN polymer of plasma initiated VAc onto nylon 4 (PIPVA/N4 IPN) show significant improvement in blood compatibility. However, the solute permeabilities of PIPVA/N4 IPN membranes are higher than those of PPVA/N4 membranes. The permeabilities of NaCl, vitamin B12, and albumin for membranes prepared by IPN at 80 W, 30 sec plasma deposited conditions, i.e., the optimized conditions, are 3.614, 0.070, and 0.000 x 10(-5) cm2/min, respectively. The mole ratio of adsorbed fibrinogen to adsorbed albumin (the mole ratio F/A) for this membrane is 0.20, and it also shows excellent blood compatibility in this study.

Anticoagulant hydrogels derived from crosslinked dextran. Part I: Synthesis, characterization and antithrombic activity

Hydrogels have been prepared by binding various amino acids to Sephadex derivatives bearing carboxymethyl and sulphonated benzylamide groups. Depending on the chemical nature and content of the amino acid substituent, these insoluble strongly hydrophilic materials may absorb 7 to 19 volumes of buffer per volume of dry material. These hydrogels present antithrombic activity in relation to their swelling ratio. The adsorption of thrombin might partially explain the anticoagulant effect as shown by the evaluated affinity constants between the hydrogels and the enzyme i.e. 1 to 2 X 10(6) I/M.

Poly(O-acyl hydroxy L-proline) (II) wetting characteristics and blood clotting on surfaces of poly O-acetyl, butyryl, hexanoyl, dodecanoyl, and benzoyl hydroxy L-proline

Poly O-acetyl, butyryl, hexanoyl, dodecanoyl, and benzoyl hydroxy L-proline (poly[O-acyl Hyp]s) were evaluated as materials for blood contact by means of contact angle and blood clotting time measurements. Critical surface tensions obtained from Zisman plots for all materials were 22-29 dyn/cm, suggesting that these materials may exhibit good blood compatibility. Dispersion and nondispersion force contributions to the surface tension were gamma ds = 1.4, gamma ns = 49.3 dyn/cm, (11.0, 16.2), (19.8, 3.8), (21.2, 4.6) and (14.1, 10.8) for the poly(O-Acetyl, Butyryl, Hexanoyl, Dodecanoyl and Benzoyl Hyp) surfaces, respectively. The materials showed remarkable wetting differences that were dependent on the type of acyl group attached to Hyp. The values of the dispersion and nondispersion components of the surface tension for poly(O-hexanoyl Hyp) and poly(O-dodecanoyl hyp) were very close to those obtained for glutaraldehyde-treated umbilical cord vessels. The blood clotting times on the respective polymer surfaces, obtained by using the kinetic method, were normalized to those of control glass and siliconized glass surfaces. All the poly(O-acyl Hyp)s surfaces showed longer clotting times than those of the poly(L-proline) and glass surfaces. The surfaces of those polymers having longer aliphatic or aromatic acyl groups had longer clotting times than those of the polymers with relatively shorter groups.

The blood compatibility of chitosan and N-acylchitosans

A segment of silk polyfilament suture [No. 2-0(USP)], ca. 10 cm long, was coated with a thin membrane (2-6 micron) of chitosan, N-acetylchitosan, or N-hexanoylchitosan. The suture was directly inserted into the lumen of dog's peripheral veins. The in vivo blood compatibility of these membranes was macroscopically determined from the blood coagulum formed on the membrane surface at 2 h. An intense thick blood coagulum formed on the chitosan membrane surface and a thin blood coagulum formed on N-acetylchitosan membrane surface, but no blood coagulum formed on N-hexanoylchitosan membrane surface.