An injectable alginate-based hydrogel for microfluidic applications

Journal
Carbohydrate polymers  
Volume
161
Start Page
228
End Page
234
Citation
Carbohydrate Polymers (161): 228-234 (2017-04-01)
Publisher DOI
10.1016/j.carbpol.2017.01.004
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85009210478
Publisher
Elsevier Science
The objective of this study was to develop an injectable alginate based formulation for immobilizing enzymes into microfluidic systems. The gelation was induced upon lowering the pH by addition of D-glucono-δ-lactone (GDL) and release of Ca+ ions from solid CaCO3. The effects of GDL concentration on enzymatic activity and gelation time were investigated. The results indicated that increasing the GDL concentration increased both surface area and enzymatic activity. Also, chitosan was added to the formulation at different ratios to enhance the stability of enzyme during immobilization. For microfluidic application, 100 μl spiral coil single channel microchip was fabricated and alginate GDL mixture containing β-glucosidase was injected to the microchannel prior to gelation. Enzymatic conversion was performed by pumping substrate (pNPG) through the microchannel. The results indicated that the entire substrate was converted continuously during 24 h without any leakage or deactivation of immobilized enzyme.
Subjects
Alginate
Chitosan
Hydrogel
Monolith
Microfabrication
Microfluidics
DDC Class
500: Naturwissenschaften
620: Ingenieurwissenschaften