We prepared network polysaccharide nanoscopic hydrogels by crosslinking water-soluble chitosan (WSCS) with a carboxylate-terminated maltooligosaccharide crosslinker via condensation. In this study, the enzymatic elongation of amylose chains on chitosan-based network polysaccharides by glucan phosphorylase (GP) catalysis was performed to obtain assembly materials. Maltoheptaose (Glc7) primers for GP-catalyzed enzymatic polymerization were first introduced into WSCS by reductive amination. Crosslinking of the product with the above-mentioned crosslinker by condensation was then performed to produce Glc7-modified network polysaccharides. The GP-catalyzed enzymatic polymerization of the α-d-glucose 1-phosphate monomer from the Glc7 primers on the network polysaccharides was conducted, where the elongated amylose chains formed double helices. Enzymatic disintegration of the resulting network polysaccharide assembly successfully occurred by α-amylase-catalyzed hydrolysis of the double helical amyloses. The encapsulation and release of a fluorescent dye, Rhodamine B, using the CS-based network polysaccharides were also achieved by means of the above two enzymatic approaches.
Keywords: encapsulation; enzymatic assembly; fluorescent dye; glucan phosphorylase; network polysaccharide; release; water-soluble chitosan; α-amylase.