(62bk) Magnetic Resonance Analysis of Physically Crosslinked Biopolymer Gels

Using the non-invasive properties of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), the mobility of water in a biopolymer gel can be examined by measuring diffusion and magnetic relaxation. Understanding the molecular role of water in physical gelation and water distribution on gel material properties has great potential to increase understanding of biological function [1]. Alginate, and the impact of Ca2+ on gelation has been extensively studied using NMR [2,3]. During formation of the gel under certain conditions, small capillaries are formed inside the gelled structure [4]. These provide molecular transport pathways through the entangled biopolymer network and can control how water and ions are transported through the gel. Another point of interest in this system stems from the role of acetylated and deacetylated alginates in biofilm formation [1] and NMR data on the relaxation and diffusion of water in model alginates provide baseline data for exploring the role of water in biofilm formation.

1. D.E. Nivens et al., J. Bacteriology 183(3) 1047-1057 (2001). 2. N. Nestle and R. Kimmich, Colloids and Surfaces A 115 141-147 (1996). 3. B.P. Hills et al., Mag. Reson. Chem. 38 719-728 (2000). 4. H. Treml, S. Woelki, H.-H. Kohler, Chemical Physics 293 341-353 (2003)