Preparation and characterization of sodium alginate modified with collagen peptides

Collagen peptides grafted sodium alginate (SA-COP) was prepared by reacting alginate with collagen peptide via amide linkage in presence of 1-ethyl-(dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxy sulfosuccinimide (NHS). The reaction conditions affected the degree of substitution (DS) were studied including the mass ratio of collagen peptide to sodium alginate, reaction temperature and reaction time. The hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity could be controlled by adjusting the DS, concentration and molecular weight. MTT assay was used to investigate the cell viability of SA-COP. The results indicated that the SA-COP exhibited better cell viability, and with the DS and concentration increasing of SA-COP, cell viability increased. The improved functionalities of the derivative might be explained by peptides characteristics. (c) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.