New phosphorylated derivatives of carboxymethylcellulose with osteogenic activity

Abstract

Abstract New phosphorylated derivatives of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and amidic CMC were realized using trisodium trimetaphosphate (STMP) as the phosphating agent. The new polysaccharides were characterized by infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The characterized polysaccharides were then crosslinked and their rheological and swelling properties determined. The presence of phosphate groups made the three‐dimensional structures more compact and harder than the corresponding non‐phosphated hydrogels. Evaluation of the bioactivity of phosphorylated hydrogels toward osteoblast‐like cells (MG63) showed a significant increase in the osteocalcin production. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.