FAYETTEVILLE — Controlled-release systems deliver medication and other bioactive compounds to the ideal spot inside a body and over a specific time. New research from the University of Arkansas and the UA System Division of Agriculture could improve these systems used for probiotics that boost gut health, drugs that target cancer cells and other medications for human and animal health using nanotechnology.
The researchers combined two organic materials, cellulose nanocrystals derived from wood pulp and alginate from brown algae, to create strong beads that encapsulate bioactive compounds. The micron-sized beads, 1/100th the size of the finest grain of beach sand, tighten in an acidic environment like the stomach, protecting the bioactive compound from both acid and the digestive enzymes. The beads swell in an alkaline, or basic, environment like the intestines, releasing the bioactive compound and then harmlessly dissolving.
The beads were created using electrohydrodynamic extrusion, which had not previously been used for a composite of cellulose nanocrystals and alginate. The electrohydrodynamic process provides more control over the size and shape of the beads, two issues with other approaches to producing controlled-release systems.
The findings were published in a recent issue of the journal Carbohydrate Polymers. The senior author was Jin-Woo Kim, Distinguished Professor of biological and agricultural engineering for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the Division of Agriculture. He is also a professor of materials science and engineering in the College of Engineering.
