Polysaccharide-fullerene supramolecular hybrids: synthesis, characterization and antioxidant activity

Publication date: Available online 23 December 2019Source: European Polymer JournalAuthor(s): Tatjana J. Kop, Dragica M. Jakovljević, Ljiljana S. Živković, Andrijana Žekić, Vladimir P. Beškoski, Dragana R. Milić, Gordana D. Gojgić-Cvijović, Mira S. BjelakovićAbstractAn efficient encapsulation of the fullerene into two hydrophobized and one native polysaccharide provided water soluble supramolecular hybrids. After covalent modification of polysaccharides by cholesterol, noncovalent hybrids were prepared by a three-step procedure, including mixing of individual aqueous solutions of hydrophobized, as well as native sugar with solution of the fullerene in pyridine, dialysis and lyophilization. Although the degree of the fullerene incorporation into hydrophobized substrates, cholesterol-levan and cholesterol-pullulan, was lower in comparison to the native polysaccharide levan, hydrophobization provided nanoparticles with improved properties. The particle size distribution, studied by dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy revealed formation of moderately polydisperse aggregates, with the diameter contraction in comparison to the corresponding free polysaccharide, especially in the case of hydrophobized substrates. The morphological examination, done by scanning electron microscopy indicated the self-organization of the fullerene-native polysaccharide to round individual structures, while fullerene-hydrophobized polysaccharide hybrids tend to form netwo...
Source: European Polymer Journal - Category: Chemistry Source Type: research