Modified glycogen as construction material for functional biomimetic microfibers

• Glycogen was allylated and radiation-crosslinked to microfibrous material.
• The RGD peptide was introduced via click chemistry onto propargyl groups.
• The microfibers were completely nontoxic to cells growing in their presence.

We describe a conceptually new, microfibrous, biodegradable functional material prepared from a modified storage polysaccharide also present in humans (glycogen) showing strong potential as direct-contact dressing/interface material for wound healing. Double bonds were introduced into glycogen via allylation and were further exploited for crosslinking of the microfibers. Triple bonds were introduced by propargylation and served for further click functionalization of the microfibers with bioactive peptide. A simple solvent-free method allowing the preparation of thick layers was used to produce microfibers (diameter ca 2 μm) from allylated and/or propargylated glycogen. Crosslinking of the samples was performed by microtron beta-irradiation, and the irradiation dose was optimized to 2 kGy. The results from biological testing showed that these highly porous, hydrophilic, readily functionalizable materials were completely nontoxic to cells growing in their presence. The fibers were gradually degraded in the presence of cells.

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