Chemical modification of starch and cysteine and subsequent reaction by the addition of Thiol-Michael to obtain polysaccharide conjugates for biomedical applications

• Grant number: 22/09328-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: October 20, 2022
• End date: December 19, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Biomedical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Eliane Trovatti
• Grantee: Bruna Carolina Dorm
• Supervisor: Maria Ines Errea
• Host Institution: Universidade de Araraquara (UNIARA). Associação São Bento de Ensino. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA), Argentina
• Associated to the scholarship: 20/09059-1 - Modification of amino acids and their derivatives for the preparation of polymers by Diels Alder reactions, BP.DD

Abstract

New materials with good biocompatibility for biomedical applications are in great demand, especially those coming from abundant, natural and renewable sources. In this sense, polysaccharide conjugates had been proved to be efficient agents for biomedical applications, such as drug delivery and vaccine carriers. Polysaccharides conjugates can be obtained by clean, fast and highly versatile click chemistry reactions, such as the Thiol-Michael addition. On the other hand, the antimicrobial activity of positive charged polysaccharide, like chitosan, is also well known. Considering the above discussion, with the aim of obtaining a new material for medical application from renewable sources in a clean and faster reaction, in this Project, a methacrylation of the starch followed by a Thiol-Michel addition between the double bound inserted in the polysaccharide and the quaternary ammonium salt of cysteine (a natural amino acid which possess a thiol group in its side chain) is proposed. (AU)