This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Polysaccharides comprise a distinct class of biopolymers produced universally among the living organisms. They exhibit a wide variety of unique structures leading to sheets and spirals of single, double and triple helices. Many polysaccharides are water soluble and are capable of significantly altering the solution properties such as texture, gelation and viscosity, to name a few. In this regard, insights about of polysaccharides architecture aid in understanding and predicting their functionality. Hence, elucidation of polysaccharide structures and their interactions with solvent and solute molecules as well as the synergistic interactions in mixed polysaccharide systems provides insights about their structure-function relationships towards developing biopolymers with improved functionality. In this regard, the current proposal is about determining the molecular architecture of a number of biologically important and industrially useful polysaccharides. The study includes the samples from algal (iota, kappa and lambda carrageenans);bacterial (gellan analog and cepacian);wood (galactoglucomannan) and binary system (acetan: glucomannan, corn arabinoxylan: glucomannan). Further, our recent research demonstrates that several drug molecules, nutraceuticals or vitamins can be embedded in the crystalline iota-carrageenan network leading to novel polymeric cocrystals. In order to gain knowledge about the intrinsic interactions between the small molecules with the polysaccharide backbone, so as to understanding the release profile of the small molecules, our second aim is centered on structural characterization of several polymeric cocrystals utilizing FDA approved food polysaccharides combined with small drug molecules as well as nutraceuticals. It is hoped that these results would be helpful in understanding the polysaccharide:drug interactions towards the development of controlled release vehicles.
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