Quinone cross-linked polysaccharide hybrid fiber.
The present article describes the synthesis of the N-(Lys-Gly-Tyr-Gly)-chitosan using the water-soluble active ester method, the preparation of the N-(Lys-Gly-Tyr-Gly)-chitosan-gellan hybrid fibers, and the reinforcement of the hybrid fibers by enzymatic cross-linking between the N-grafted peptides chains of chitosan. The cationic polysaccharide chitosan was treated with Boc-Lys(Z)-Gly-Tyr(Bzl)-Gly (4-hydroxyphenyl)dimethylsulfonium methyl sulfate ester in DMF-0.15 M acetic acid to incorporate the peptides into the side chain amino groups of chitosan followed by the acidic removals of the Z and Bzl groups. The degrees of N substitution were estimated to be 2.0 and 10 molar % by changing the molar ratios of the amino groups of the parent chitosan and the active ester. The resulting cationic N-(Lys-Gly-Tyr-Gly)-chitosan was spun into the hybrid fibers with the anionic polysaccharide gellan in water. The tensile strengths of the N-(Lys-Gly-Tyr-Gly)-chitosan hybrid fibers were superior to those of the original chitosan-gellan fibers. The mechanical strengths of the hybrid fibers further increased upon enzymatic oxidation using tyrosinase. Based on these results, we concluded that the covalent cross-linking due to the enzyme oxidation between the grafted peptides significantly contributed to reinforcement of the polysaccharide hybrid fibers. The present results afford a new methodology for the reinforcement achieved by the polymer modification inspired by a biological process.
Institute of High Polymer Research, Faculty of Textile Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Tokida 3-15-1, Ueda 386-8567, Japan.
Yoshiko
Y
Kuboe
Hitomi
H
Tonegawa
Kousaku
K
Ohkawa
Hiroyuki
H
Yamamoto
D016227:Benzoquinones / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure
D016227:Benzoquinones; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D011134:Polysaccharides; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; C004532:quinone; C048288:gellan gum