XANTHAN-BASED AMPHIPHILE FOR CELL ENCAPSULATION

Xanthan gum is a polyanionic extracellular polysaccharide produced by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris . Recently, a xanthan derivative (carboxymethylated xanthan) was successfully used as artificial matrix for the encapsulation of chondrocytic. Self-assembling properties of amphiphilic molecules are being explored in several applications, once they have the ability to self-assemble in water into different shapes which can be suitably used to design templates for the synthesis of devices at the nanometer length scale, as for example capsules for cell encapsulation. In this context, xanthan, as a negatively charged biopolymer, was conjugated with hydrophobic molecules, such as palmitoyl chloride, in order to obtain polymeric amphiphiles . Our studies revealed that aqueous solutions of the amphiphilic palmitoyl xanthan could form gels in presence of calcium ions and self-assemble into spherical hollowcapsules that are suitable to generate regular microcapsules with long-term stability as well as with the ability to support the survival and function of encapsulated cells over prolonged time.