title: Adsorbents for apheresis prepared from polysaccharides of algae that threaten ecosystem services.
abstract: In this work, we investigated whether materials isolated from algae that threaten ecosystems can be used for human benefit. We converted acidic polysaccharides (ulvan) from the alga Ulva pertusa into soft hydrogel materials. In addition to ulvan, the hydrogels also contained alginate in a polyion complex with chitosan. Cross-linking the hydrogel with glutaraldehyde reduced polysaccharide elution from the polyion complex gel. We also found that both ulvan-chitosan and alginate-chitosan gels were able to remove urea and heavy metals from aqueous solution. This is clinically significant, since during apheresis, toxic compounds such as urea have to be removed from the bloodstream of patients. Importantly, albumin was not removed by the hydrogels, implying that this vital protein can be returned to the bloodstream following dialysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Chemistry, Faculty of Humanity-Oriented Science and Technology, Kinki University, 11-6 Kayanomori, Iizuka-shi, Fukuoka 820-8555, Japan, (phone: +81-948-225655; fax: +81-948-225715). kanno@fuk.kindai.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kanno
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanigawa
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohnaka
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kubo
authors.forename: Kaito
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Kota
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Koshiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakata
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimohara
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000418:Albumins / Q000737:chemistry; D000464:Alginates; D001781:Blood Component Removal; D048271:Chitosan; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D020100:Hydrogels; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000737:chemistry; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D044445:Ulva / Q000737:chemistry*; D014508:Urea / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D000464:Alginates; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D020100:Hydrogels; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D011134:Polysaccharides; C571831:ulvan; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D014508:Urea; D048271:Chitosan
keywords: Heavy metal ions; Polysaccharides; Ulva pertusa; Urea