Moldable Hydrogel Formed from Oppositely Charged Gelatin Nanoparticles
Open Access
- Author:
- Menon, Mridula M
- Area of Honors:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Yong Wang, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Nanyin Zhang, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Gelatin Nanoparticles
Hydrogel
Drug Delivery - Abstract:
- While drug delivery is one of the more established branches in biomedical research, challenges remain in finding the optimum material to introduce the drug to its target location. To solve this challenge, it is important to consider biocompatibility, ability of drug to adhere to the material and release kinetics of material. Gelatin is one of the most commonly used biocompatible biomaterials as it is hydrolyzed collagen which is the most abundant form of protein found in tissues. Gelatin also contains amino acid sequences such as RGD that assist with cell adhesion. By using specific reagents, gelatin nanoparticles can be synthesized to be positively or negatively charged and on mixing gelatin nanoparticles of opposite charges it is possible to create a viscous hydrogel. The purpose of this thesis is to show that the hydrogel formed is capable of being molded into desirable shapes and structures. Gelatin nanoparticles from porcine skin (Gel A) and bovine skin (Gel B) were synthesized using a two-step desolvation method. The synthesized particles were then analyzed using dynamic light scattering (DLS) to determine particle size and zeta potential. Gel A and Gel B are lyophilized to determine the yield of gelatin nanoparticles. On determining concentrations, Gel A and Gel B are mixed to aggregate and form larger particles. Binding kinetics on mixing Gel A and Gel B is analyzed using DLS over a period of 20 minutes while using starting sizes of Gel A and Gel B as comparison. The storage modulus, loss modulus and tan (𝛿) were determined for Gel A+B mixed in different ratios by using a rheometer. Nanoparticles of each sample were imaged using scattering electron microscopy (SEM) after lyophilizing each sample in a circular mold. Stability of structure formed with hybrid hydrogel was tested by dehydrating Gel A+B in a square mold and then rehydrating the structure formed to show that the hydrogel maintains the shape. The resulting hydrogel formed from mixing oppositely charged gelatin nanoparticles can take the shape of the mold it was introduced to and was able to retain the shape when subjected external factors. Data collected suggests that viscous hydrogel made from oppositely charged nanoparticles will make a better alternative to pure gelatin for drug delivery because of its ability to conform to a desired shape along with its biocompatible nature.