Paula Cristina de Sousa Faria-Tischer

Bacterial cellulose and hyaluronic acid hybrid membranes: Production and characterization.

In this study, the effect of the addition of hyaluronic acid (HA) on bacterial cellulose (BC) production, under static conditions was evaluated in terms of the properties of the resulting BC hybrid membranes. HA was added to the fermentation process in three distinct time points: first day (BC-T0), third day (BC-T3) and sixth day (BC-T6). Analyses of FT-IR and CP/MAS (13)C NMR confirmed the presence of HA in bacterial cellulose membranes. The crystal structure, crystallinity index (Ic) surface roughness, thermal stability and hybrophobic/hydrophilic character changed. Membranes with higher roughness were produced with HA added on the first and third day of fermentation process. The surface energy of BC/HA membranes was calculated and more hydrophilic membranes were produced by the addition of HA on the third and sixth day, also resulting in more thermally stable materials. The results demonstrate that bacterial cellulose/hyaluronic acid hybrid membranes can be produced in situ and suggest that HA interacts with the sub-elementary bacterial cellulose fibrils, changing the properties of the membranes. The study and understanding of the factors that affect those properties are of utmost importance for the safe and efficient use of BC as biomaterials in numerous applications, specifically in the biological field.

Production and characterization of bacterial cellulose membranes with hyaluronic acid from chicken comb.

The bacterial cellulose (BC), from Gluconacetobacter hansenii, is a biofilm with a high degree of crystallinity that can be used for therapeutic purposes and as a candidate for healing wounds. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a constitutive polysaccharide found in the extracellular matrix and is a material used in tissue engineering and scaffolding for tissue regeneration. In this study, polymeric composites were produced in presence of hyaluronic acid isolated from chicken comb on different days of fermentation, specifically on the first (BCHA-SABT0) and third day (BCHA-SABT3) of fermentation. The structural characteristics, thermal stability and molar mass of hyaluronic acid from chicken comb were evaluated. Native membrane and polymeric composites were characterized with respect to their morphology and crystallinity. The optimized process of extraction and purification of hyaluronic acid resulted in low molar mass hyaluronic acid with structural characteristics similar to the standard commercial hyaluronic acid. The results demonstrate that the polymeric composites (BC/HA-SAB) can be produced in situ. The membranes produced on the third day presented better incorporation of HA-SAB between cellulose microfiber, resulting in membranes with higher thermal stability, higher roughness and lower crystallinity. The biocompatiblily of bacterial cellulose and the importance of hyaluronic acid as a component of extracellular matrix qualify the polymeric composites as promising biomaterials for tissue engineering.

Preparation of cellulose II and IIII films by allomorphic conversion of bacterial cellulose I pellicles.

The structural changes resulting from the conversion of native cellulose I (Cel I) into allomorphs II (Cel II) and IIII (Cel IIII) have usually been studied using powder samples from plant or algal cellulose. In this work, the conversion of Cel I into Cel II and Cel IIII was performed on bacterial cellulose films without any mechanical disruption. The surface texture of the films was observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and the morphology of the constituting cellulose ribbons, by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The structural changes were characterized using solid-state NMR spectroscopy as well as X-ray and electron diffraction. The allomorphic change into Cel II and Cel IIII resulted in films with different crystallinity, roughness and hydrophobic/hydrophilicity surface and the films remained intact during all process of allomorphic conversion.

Preparation of succinylated cellulose membranes for functionalization purposes.

The anhydroglucose chains of cellulose possess hydroxyls that facilitate different chemical modification strategies to expand on, or provide new applications for membranes produced by the bacteria Gluconacetobacter xylinus. Conjugation with biomolecules such as proteins, especially by the amine groups, is of great value and interest for the production of biomaterial derivatives from bacterial cellulose. To assist in these modifications, cellulose was succinylated in order to prevent steric hindrance and to create an attachment point for conjugation. Bacterial cellulose membranes were first treated in dichloromethane and reacted with succinic anhydride through a series of conditions. The membrane structure remained intact after these first processes and the product was confirmed by Infra-Red spectroscopy and solid state nuclear magnetic resonance and characterized by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry and atomic force microscopy. Hydrolyzed collagen was used as a model protein of interest to be conjugated to these membranes, which furnished a biomaterial functionalized over its surface.

Enhancement of fibroblast growing on the mannosylated surface of cellulose membranes

Bacterial cellulose membrane is a biomaterial with high value in the biomedical field. Many groups have been making efforts to promote chemical modifications of its structure and, consequently, add new characteristics. Recently, our group has developed a methodology to insert monoester succinic acid in bacterial cellulose membrane without disrupting the microfibril network and bind a protein on it. Considering the role of carbohydrates in the molecular recognition process in biological events, we continued these studies by inserting covalently multiples copies of aryl monosaccharide to bacterial cellulose succinylated and to study the in vitro tissue compatibility using fibroblasts. The mix of synthetical chemistry and material modification was performed to prepare aminoaryl mannoside and conjugate it, via amide bond using ultrasonic irradiation, to succinic group of bacterial cellulose. This material was characterized chemically (IR, UV-vis, 13C NMR CP-MAS) and physically (TGA and AFM). Mannosylated cellulose showed good in vitro compatibility with fibroblasts demonstrating its potential in the tissue engineering field which could provide a tissue compatible scaffold.

BIODEGRADABLE FILMS OF CASSAVA STARCH, PULLULAN AND BACTERIAL CELLULOSE

The largest consumption of plastics in the world is referred to the synthetic polymers, which are not biodegradable and have a non-renewable source, generating a large environmental impact, especially in urban centers. As a result, in the last two decades several polymers obtained from renewable sources (biopolymers) have been studied as potential raw materials for the production of new biodegradable materials with different applications. The objectives of this study were to produce biodegradable films based on cassava starch, pullulan and bacterial cellulose, and also to characterize these films according to their microstructure, barrier, thermal and mechanical properties. The addition of bacterial cellulose and pullulan to the starch films resulted in films with more homogeneous surfaces, and also decreased solubility and water vapor permeability, and increased elongation and thermal stability.