Tannic acid-coated cellulose nanocrystals with enhanced mucoadhesive properties for aquaculture

Fatemah Haji; Dae Sung Kim; Kam C Tam

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.120835

Tannic acid-coated cellulose nanocrystals with enhanced mucoadhesive properties for aquaculture

Carbohydr Polym. 2023 Jul 15:312:120835. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.120835. Epub 2023 Mar 22.

Authors

Fatemah Haji¹, Dae Sung Kim², Kam C Tam³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada.
² Department of Chemical Engineering, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada; Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 107 W. Dean Keeton St., Austin, TX 78712, USA.
³ Department of Chemical Engineering, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada. Electronic address: mkctam@uwaterloo.ca.

PMID: 37059561
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.120835

Abstract

Mucoadhesion can be exploited as a strategy to target drug and nutrient delivery to the outer mucosal layers of fish in aquaculture farms. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) derived from cellulose pulp fibers can interact with the mucosal membranes via hydrogen bonding, however, their mucoadhesive properties are weak and should be enhanced. In this study, CNC were coated with tannic acid (TA), a plant polyphenol with excellent wet-resistant bioadhesive properties, to strengthen their mucoadhesive capability. The optimal CNC:TA mass ratio was determined to be 20:1. The modified CNCs were 190 ± 40 nm in length and 21 ± 4 nm wide and displayed excellent colloidal stability, with a zeta potential of -35 mV. Turbidity titrations and rheological measurements revealed that the modified CNC possessed superior mucoadhesive properties compared to pristine CNC. Modification with tannic acid introduced additional functional groups for stronger hydrogen bond formation and hydrophobic interactions with mucin, which was confirmed by a large reduction in viscosity enhancement values in the presence of chemical blockers (urea and Tween80). The enhanced mucoadhesion of the modified CNC could be utilized for the fabrication of a mucoadhesive drug delivery system to promote sustainable aquaculture practices.

Keywords: Cellulose nanocrystals; Mucoadhesion; Surface modification; Tannic acid; Turbidimetric titration; Viscometric method.

MeSH terms

Animals
Aquaculture
Cellulose* / chemistry
Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
Nanoparticles* / chemistry
Viscosity

Substances

Cellulose