화학공학소재연구정보센터
Langmuir, Vol.32, No.42, 11043-11054, 2016
Improved Protein Conjugation with Uniform, Macroporous Poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) Hydrogel Microspheres via EDC/NHS Chemistry
We demonstrate a robust and tunable micro-molding method to fabricate chemically functional poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (p(AAm-co-AA)) hydrogel micro spheres with uniform dimensions and controlled porous network structures for rapid biomacromolecular conjugation. Specifically, p(AAm-co-AA) microspheres with abundant carboxylate functional groups are fabricated via surface tension-induced droplet formation in patterned poly(dimethylsiloxane) molds and photoinduced radical polymerization. To demonstrate the chemical functionality, we enlisted rapid EDC/NHS (1-ethyl-3-(3-(dimethylamino)propyl)carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS)) chemistry for fluorescent labeling of the microspheres with small-molecule dye fluorescein glycine amide. Epifluorescence imaging results illustrate the uniform incorporation of carboxylate groups within the microspheres and rapid conjugation kinetics. Furthermore, protein conjugation results using red fluorescent protein R-phycoerythrin demonstrate the highly porous nature of the microspheres as well as the utility of the microspheres and the EDC/NHS scheme for facile biomacromolecular conjugation. Combined, these results illustrate the significant potential for our fabrication conjugation strategy in the development of biofunctionalized polymeric hydrogel microparticles toward rapid biosensing, bioprocess monitoring, and biodiagnostics.