New Hydrogels Based on Carbohydrate and on Carbohydrate- Synthetic Polymer Networks

Novel synthetic routes recently explored in our laboratories in order to obtain crosslinked polymeric samples, comprising either chitosan or gellan as polysaccharidic components, are outlined. The former networks, in which different crosslinking partners have been used (i.e. oxidized cyclodextrin and telechelic poly(vinylalcohol)), can bear fixed positive charges while the latter are anionic. Zwitterionic networks formed by the template polymerization of acrylic acid onto chitosan with concomitant crosslinking (bisacrylamide) have also been prepared. Procedures adopted are simple and, once optimized, may lead to biocompatible hydrogels, with easily tunable physical properties, of potential interest in the biomedical area.