title: Alginate assessment by NMR microscopy.
abstract: Alginate hydrogels have long been used to encapsulate cells for the purpose of cell transplantation. However, they also have been criticized because they fail to consistently maintain their integrity for extended periods of time. Two issues of critical importance that have yet to be thoroughly addressed concerning the long-term integrity of alginate/poly-L-lysine/alginate microcapsules are: (i) are there temporal changes in the alginate/poly-L-lysine interaction and (ii) are there temporal changes in the alginate gel structure. NMR microscopy is a non-invasive analytical technique that can address these issues. in this report, we present data to demonstrate the utility of (1)H NMR microscopy to (i) visualize the poly-L-lysine layer in an effort to address the first question, and (ii) to observe temporal changes in the alginate matrix that may represent changes in the gel structure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Celper
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gauffin-Holmberg
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Blackband
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Constantinidis
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000464:Alginates / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D020723:Glucuronic Acid / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D006603:Hexuronic Acids / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D006859:Hydrogen; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008422:Materials Testing / Q000379:methods*; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008863:Microspheres; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D011107:Polylysine / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D011485:Protein Binding; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D020100:Hydrogels; D011107:Polylysine; D006859:Hydrogen; D020723:Glucuronic Acid