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A team of researchers from the Biochemical Engineering Lab at UCIBIO-NOVA, led by Maria Reis, has recently published a new research paper that explores the potential of polysaccharide-based hydrogels for tissue engineering, drug delivery, or wound healing applications. The results of this study were published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules: “Iron(III) cross-linked hydrogels based on Alteromonas macleodii Mo 169 exopolysaccharide”. 

 

Recently, polysaccharide-based hydrogels crosslinked with the trivalent iron cation have attracted interest due to their remarkable properties. In this study, a Fe3+ crosslinked hydrogel was prepared using the biocompatible extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) secreted by the marine bacterium Alteromonas macleodii Mo169, isolated in French Polynesia. "The impact of Fe3+ and EPS concentration on the hydrogels' strength was evaluated through response surface methodology, allowing a better understanding of the possible mechanisms behind gelation. This study also demonstrated that, depending on the conditions implemented, the hydrogels presented distinct characteristics that might be suitable for tissue engineering, drug delivery, or wound healing applications", explained Patrícia Reis, first author of the article.

 

Hence, this study significantly contributed to blue biotechnology as it is indicative of the still underexplored potential of marine microorganisms in the development of improved biomaterials with high-value applications. 

 

  

Original paper: 

 

Iron(III) cross-linked hydrogels based on Alteromonas macleodii Mo 169 exopolysaccharide 
Patrícia Concórdio-Reis, Matilde Martins, Diana Araújo, Vítor D. Alves, Xavier Moppert, Jean Guézennec, Maria A. M. Reis and Filomena Freitas 
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.133312