Impact of Kefiran Exopolysaccharide Extraction on Its Applicability for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
Kefiran is an exopolysaccharide produced by the microflora of kefir grains used to produce the fermented milk beverage kefir. The health-promoting and physicochemical properties of kefiran led to its exploration for a range of applications, mainly in the food industry and biomedical fields. Aiming t...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Pharmaceutics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/14/8/1713 |
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| author | Susana Correia Cristiana Gonçalves Joaquim M. Oliveira Hajer Radhouani Rui L. Reis |
| author_facet | Susana Correia Cristiana Gonçalves Joaquim M. Oliveira Hajer Radhouani Rui L. Reis |
| author_sort | Susana Correia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Kefiran is an exopolysaccharide produced by the microflora of kefir grains used to produce the fermented milk beverage kefir. The health-promoting and physicochemical properties of kefiran led to its exploration for a range of applications, mainly in the food industry and biomedical fields. Aiming to explore its potential for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) applications, the kefiran biopolymer obtained through three different extraction methodologies was fully characterized and compared. High-quality kefiran polysaccharides were recovered with suitable yield through different extraction protocols. The methods consisted of heating the kefir grains prior to recovering kefiran by centrifugation and differed mainly in the precipitation steps included before lyophilization. Then, kefiran scaffolds were successfully produced from each extract by cryogelation and freeze-drying. In all extracts, it was possible to identify the molecular structure of the kefiran polysaccharide through <sup>1</sup>H-NMR and FTIR spectra. The kefiran from extraction 1 showed the highest molecular weight (~3000 kDa) and the best rheological properties, showing a pseudoplastic behavior; its scaffold presented the highest value of porosity (93.2% ± 2), and wall thickness (85.8 µm ± 16.3). All extracts showed thermal stability, good injectability and desirable viscoelastic properties; the developed scaffolds demonstrated mechanical stability, elastic behavior, and pore size comprised between 98–94 µm. Additionally, all kefiran products proved to be non-cytotoxic over L929 cells. The interesting structural, physicochemical, and biological properties showed by the kefiran extracts and cryogels revealed their biomedical potential and suitability for TERM applications. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:50:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-13fae0fcb8b44a29b7fea08d25fa29a7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:50:36Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pharmaceutics |
| spelling | doaj.art-13fae0fcb8b44a29b7fea08d25fa29a72023-12-02T00:10:12ZengMDPI AGPharmaceutics1999-49232022-08-01148171310.3390/pharmaceutics14081713Impact of Kefiran Exopolysaccharide Extraction on Its Applicability for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative MedicineSusana Correia0Cristiana Gonçalves1Joaquim M. Oliveira2Hajer Radhouani3Rui L. Reis43B’s Research Group, I3Bs—Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, Barco, 4805-017 Guimarães, Portugal3B’s Research Group, I3Bs—Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, Barco, 4805-017 Guimarães, Portugal3B’s Research Group, I3Bs—Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, Barco, 4805-017 Guimarães, Portugal3B’s Research Group, I3Bs—Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, Barco, 4805-017 Guimarães, Portugal3B’s Research Group, I3Bs—Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, Barco, 4805-017 Guimarães, PortugalKefiran is an exopolysaccharide produced by the microflora of kefir grains used to produce the fermented milk beverage kefir. The health-promoting and physicochemical properties of kefiran led to its exploration for a range of applications, mainly in the food industry and biomedical fields. Aiming to explore its potential for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) applications, the kefiran biopolymer obtained through three different extraction methodologies was fully characterized and compared. High-quality kefiran polysaccharides were recovered with suitable yield through different extraction protocols. The methods consisted of heating the kefir grains prior to recovering kefiran by centrifugation and differed mainly in the precipitation steps included before lyophilization. Then, kefiran scaffolds were successfully produced from each extract by cryogelation and freeze-drying. In all extracts, it was possible to identify the molecular structure of the kefiran polysaccharide through <sup>1</sup>H-NMR and FTIR spectra. The kefiran from extraction 1 showed the highest molecular weight (~3000 kDa) and the best rheological properties, showing a pseudoplastic behavior; its scaffold presented the highest value of porosity (93.2% ± 2), and wall thickness (85.8 µm ± 16.3). All extracts showed thermal stability, good injectability and desirable viscoelastic properties; the developed scaffolds demonstrated mechanical stability, elastic behavior, and pore size comprised between 98–94 µm. Additionally, all kefiran products proved to be non-cytotoxic over L929 cells. The interesting structural, physicochemical, and biological properties showed by the kefiran extracts and cryogels revealed their biomedical potential and suitability for TERM applications.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/14/8/1713characterizationextractionkefiranregenerative medicinescaffoldstissue engineering |
| spellingShingle | Susana Correia Cristiana Gonçalves Joaquim M. Oliveira Hajer Radhouani Rui L. Reis Impact of Kefiran Exopolysaccharide Extraction on Its Applicability for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Pharmaceutics characterization extraction kefiran regenerative medicine scaffolds tissue engineering |
| title | Impact of Kefiran Exopolysaccharide Extraction on Its Applicability for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine |
| title_full | Impact of Kefiran Exopolysaccharide Extraction on Its Applicability for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine |
| title_fullStr | Impact of Kefiran Exopolysaccharide Extraction on Its Applicability for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of Kefiran Exopolysaccharide Extraction on Its Applicability for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine |
| title_short | Impact of Kefiran Exopolysaccharide Extraction on Its Applicability for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine |
| title_sort | impact of kefiran exopolysaccharide extraction on its applicability for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine |
| topic | characterization extraction kefiran regenerative medicine scaffolds tissue engineering |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/14/8/1713 |
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