• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.281-291
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• 1998

Chitosan is a biodegradable and non-toxic material with a molecular weight of 800-1,500Kd which can be obtained in various forms with extraordinary chemical structures and biological characteristics of which enables it to be used in many fields as a biomaterial. Ion irradiation is a useful tool to modify chemical structures and physical properties of high molecular weight polymers. The basic hypothesis of this study is that when surface properties of chitosan in a sponge form are modified with ion beam-irradiation and cell adhesion properties of chitosan would improve and thereby increase the regenerative ability of the damaged bone. The purpose of this study was to illuminate the changes in the cytocompatibility of chitosan sponges after ion beam-irradiation as a preliminary research. Argon($Ar^+$) ions were irradiated at doses of $5{\times}10^{13}$, $5{\times}10^{15}$ at 35 keV on surfaces of each sponges. Cell adhesion and activity of alkaline phosphatases were studied using rat fetal osteoblasts. The results of this study show hat ion beam-irradiation at optimal doses($5{\times}10^^{13}\;Ar^+\;ion/cm^2$) is a useful method to improve cytocompatibility without sacrificing cell viability and any changing cell phenotypes. These results show that ion beam-irradiated chitosan sponges can be further applied as carriers in tissue engineering and as bone filling materials.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.670-672
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• 2000

Azotobacter vinelandii UWD synthesizes poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), one of the biodegradable polymers, when odd and even number carbon sources are simultaneously added to a medium. In this study, we investigated the specific growth rate of Azotobacter vinelandii UWD on propionic acid and valeric acid. The specific growth rates were $0.183 hr^{-1} and 0.137 hr^{-1}$ at 1.0∼1.5 g/L of propionic acid and 1.0 g/L of valeric acid, respectively. When a mixture of 0.75 g/L of propionic acid and 0.5 g/L of valeric acid was added to the medium, the specific growth rate was 0.196 hr(sup)-1, which was equal to or higher than those of the individual organic acids. Among 10∼50 g/L of glucose cell growth was best at 20 g/L.

• Fibers and Polymers
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.289-296
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• 2004

The kinetic parameters, including the activation energy E, the reaction order n, and the pre-exponential factor Z, of the degradation of the copolymers based on the poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) or poly(p-dioxanone-co-L-lactide) (PDO/PLLA) and diol-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) segments have been evaluated by the single heating methods of Friedman and Freeman-Carroll. The experimental results showed that copolymers exhibited two degradation steps under nitrogen that can be ascribed to PLLA or PDO/PLLA and PEG segments, respectively. However, copolymers exhibited almost single degradation step in air. Although the values of initial decomposition temperature were scattered, copolymers showed the lower maximum weight loss rate and degradation-activation energy in air than in nitrogen whereas the higher value of temperature at the maximum rate of weight loss was observed in air.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.101-106
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• 2004

This work aims at examining the cellular uptake behavior of poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles derivatized with a protein transduction domain (PTD) using HeLa cells. For this purpose, $Tat_{49-57}$ peptide derived from transcriptional activation (Tat) protein of HIV type-1 was covalently conjugated to the terminal end of PLGA. Nanoparticles were ten prepared with the $Tat_{49-57}-PLGA$ conjugates by a spontaneous phase inversion method. The prepared particles had a mean diameter of ca. 84 nm, as measured by dynamic light scattering. The interaction of the Tat-PLGA nanoparticles with cells was examined by using confocal laser scanning microscopy. It was found tat Tat-PLGA nanoparticles incubated with HeLa cells could efficiently translocate into cytoplasm, while plain PLGA nanoparticles showed negligible cellular uptake. In addition, even at $4^{\circ}C$ or in the presence of sodium azide significant cellular internalization of Tat-PLGA nanoparticles was still observed. These results indicate that a non-endocytotic translocation mechanism might be involved in the cellular uptake of Tat-PLGA nanoparticles.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.431-436
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• 2000

To improve the thermal and mechanical properties of homo poly(L-lactic acid), DL-mandelic acid, one of the natural $\alpha$-hydroxy acid with aromatic ring as the side-chain residue was used as the comonomer. Copolymers with different contents of mandelic acid were prepared and characterized. The resulting copolymers were mostly amorphous. As the amount of mandelic acid in the monomer feed increased, the molecular weight of the resulting polymers tended to decrease linearly. T$_{g}$ and T$_{d}$ of the copolymer, however, were found to shift toward higher temperature, suggesting the improved thermal stability by increasing content of mandelic acid moiety. Tensile measurements of cast films showed somewhat improved values in the copolymers with mandelic acid content of 5 and 10 wt%.%.%.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.544-548
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• 2008

The objective of this study is to obtain the anti-oxidant nanoparticles based on biocompatible polymers. It was chosen to conjugate with chitosan as the biodegradable polymer and lipoic acid as the hydrophobic anti-oxidant. Lipoic acid helps the regeneration of exogenous and endogenous anti-oxidants vitamin as well as glutathione and hence acts as antioxidant indirectly. Chitosan was prepared from chitin which was deacetylated under alkali solution for the various reaction time. Lipoic acid-chitosan complex was confirmed by $^1H$-NMR. The critical aggregation concentration was measured using pyrene and the values were about $5{\times}10^{-3}$ g/L. The particle shapes and sizes of the chitosan-lipoic acid nano-particles were about 135 nm that measured by DLS and TEM.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.118-126
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• 2004

The aqueous extract of European mistletoe (Viscum album, L.) has been used in cancer therapy. The purified mistletoe lectins, main components of mistletoe, have demonstrated cytotoxic and immune-system-stimulating activities. Korean mistletoe (Viscum album L. coloratum), a subspecies of European mistletoe, has also been reported to possess anticancer and immunological activities. A galactose- and N-acetyl-D-galactosamine-specific lectin (Viscum album L. coloratum agglutinin, VCA) with Mr 60 kDa was isolated from Korean mistletoe. Mistletoe preparations have been given subcutaneously due to the low stability of lectin in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In the present study, we investigated the possibility of alginate/chitosan microcapsules as a tool for oral delivery of mistletoe lectin. In addition, our strategy has been to develop a system composed of stabilizing cores (granules), which contain mistletoe lectin, extract or powder, coated by a biodegradable polymer wall. Our results indicated that successful incorporation of VCA into alginate/chitosan microcapsules has been achieved and that the alginate/chitosan microcapsule protected the VCA from degradation at acidic pH values. And coating the VCA with polyacrylic polymers, Eudragit, produced outstanding results with ideal release profiles and only minimal losses of cytotoxicity after manufacturing step. The granules prepared with extract or whole plant produced the best results due to the stability in the extract or whole plant during manufacturing process.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.137-142
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• 2019

Numerous efforts are being made to develop an ideal dermal filler that should be bio-compatibility, non-immunogenicity, long-lasting and biodegradable without a toxic secretion. Biomaterials of dermal fillers are hyaluronic acid filler, calcium filler, PMMA filler and collagen filler depending on the ingredient. Although hyaluronic acid (HA) is most widely used, it has shortages such as short shelf life and low mechanical strength compare to extracellular matrix (ECM). The cartilage ECM composed of collagen type II, proteoglycans, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and in a minor part with glycoproteins. In this study, we developed a cartilage ECM injectable filler capable of improving biocompatibility and longevity compared with hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers. The ECM hydrogel was cross-linked by the reaction of N-(3-Dimethylaminopropyl)-N'-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC)/N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) for mechanical enhancement. Prepared ECM filler was compared with cross-linked HA by butanediol diglycidyle ether (BDDE), which is the most widely used natural polymers for dermal filler. In the results, the articular cartilage ECM hydrogel has great potential as a dermal filler to improve the biophysical and biological performance.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.1-8
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• 2021

In this study, the water resistance and mechanical properties of heat-treated polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) films were investigated. PVA is the most commonly used synthetic biodegradable polymers owing to its excellent properties. However, the water/moisture sensitivity and relatively poor mechanical properties of PVA limits its applications. Although heat treatment is a conventionally used method to improve the mechanical strength and water resistance of PVA, the effectiveness of this method is insufficient. Therefore, CNC was used to further improve the mechanical properties and water resistance of the heat-treated PVA film. PVA/CNC nanocomposites containing CNC contents of 0, 1, 3, 5, and 10 wt% were fabricated using solvent casting and subsequent heat treatment. The mechanical properties and water resistance of PVA/CNC films were significantly improved. The tensile strength and wet strength of the PVA/CNC film with a CNC content of 5 wt% (PVA/CNC 5%) were 184.5% and 136.0% higher than those of the untreated PVA, respectively. In addition, the water absorption and solubility of PVA/CNC 5% were 56.6% and 68.2% lower than those of the untreated PVA.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.103-110
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• 2023

The study aimed to enhance the properties of polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable and biocompatible substitute for fossil-based plastics. Since the applicability of PLA has been limited because of its toughness and brittleness, microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and propolis were introduced into PLA. As a result, the PLA film with MFC/propolis showed significant improvements in mechanical strength, elongation, and storage modulus, while also experiencing a decrease in the glass transition temperature. Additionally, the presence of polyphenols in propolis led to a reduction in light transmittance in the UV wavelength range. These enhancements are attributed to MFC tightly bonding with PLA polymers, and propolis acting as a plasticizer and mediator between MFC and PLA, preventing agglomeration. These reinforced PLA films have the potential to be used in flexible packaging for light-sensitive products.