Characterization of internal structure of hydrated agar and gelatin matrices by cryo-SEM

Janane Rahbani, Ali Reza Behzad, Niveen M. Khashab, Mazen Al-Ghoul

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

42 Scopus citations

Abstract

There has been a considerable interest in recent years in developing polymer gel matrices for many important applications such as 2DE for quantization and separation of a variety of proteins and drug delivery system to control the release of active agents. However, a well-defined knowledge of the ultrastructures of the gels has been elusive. In this study, we report the characterization of two different polymers used in 2DE: Gelatin, a naturally occurring polymer derived from collagen (protein) and agar, a polymer of polysaccharide (sugar) origin. Low-temperature SEM is used to examine the internal structure of these gels in their frozen natural hydrated states. Results of this study show that both polymers have an array of hollow cells that resembles honeycomb structures. While agar pores are almost circular, the corresponding Gaussian curve is very broad exhibiting a range of radii from nearly 370 to 700 nm. Gelatin pores are smaller and more homogeneous reflecting a narrower distribution from nearly 320 to 650 nm. Overall, these ultrastructural findings could be used to correlate with functions of the polymers. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)405-408
Number of pages4
JournalELECTROPHORESIS
Volume34
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 26 2012

Bibliographical note

KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01
Acknowledgements: The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding provided by the American University of Beirut Research Board and by the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research (LCNSR).

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Clinical Biochemistry

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