Hydrogel-Carbon Nanotubes composites for protection of Egg Yolk Antibodies

BELLINGERI R; ALUSTIZA F; PICCO N; GROSSO MC; MOTTA C; C. BARBERO; ACEVEDO D; VIVAS A

Intelligent Nanomaterials (2nd Ed.)

WILEY-Scrivener Publishing

Año: 2016; p. 1 - 25

During the last decade, the development of innovativedelivery devices for different therapeutic agents has attracted the interest ofmany researchers. Several studies, indeed, report on the design, synthesis, andcharacterization of novel materials to be employed as delivery systems in theaim to improve the efficiency of a selected therapeutic agent. Hydrogels haveemerged as a promising option for drug delivery system. Some of these polymericnetworks are able to exhibit phase transition and changes in their equilibriumstate in response to external stimuli and are known as ?intelligent?. This kindof materials finds application in targeted drug delivery due to the capabilityto respond to environmental factors including physical, chemical, andbiochemical stimulus. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are other materials with uniqueproperties that recently have been employed for intracellular deliveryapplications. To expand and optimize the use of CNTs in biotechnological areas,it is necessary their functionalization. Biomaterials including biomolecules,biopolymers and other bionanostructures have been attached to CNTssuccessfully. Chitosan is a widely-used biopolymer in biomaterials researchsince it possesses properties like being biocompatible, biodegradable,non-toxic and ecofriendly. In the search for alternatives to antibioticstreatment, oral immunotherapy with egg yolk immunoglobulin (IgY) is an strategythat has been investigated and it has shown to be effective against a number ofgastrointestinal pathogens. However, the activity of orally administered IgY isreduced rapidly, due to its sensibility to pepsin and low pH. This chapter integratesknowledge from different areas like intelligent hydrogels, different strategiesfor functionalization of carbon nanotubes, synthesis, and characterization ofpolymeric nanocomposites, and IgY protection. Finally, the applicability of hydrogel-carbonnanotubes composites in drug delivery, with particular attention to thecontrolled release of IgY, will be discussed.