文摘
A novel method has been developed for preparing nanogels with a lysozyme core and dextran shell. The methodinvolves the Maillard dry-heat process and heat-gelation process. First, lysozyme-dextran conjugates were producedthrough the Maillard reaction. Then, the conjugate solution was heated above the denaturation temperature of lysozymeto produce nanogels. The nanogels are of spherical shape having a hydrodynamic diameter of about 200 nm andswelling ratio of about 30. The nanogel solutions are stable against long-term storage as well as changes in pH andionic strength. Ibuprofen has been used as a drug model to study the electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions withthese nanogels at different pH values. The study reveals that the nanogels are more suitable for loading protonatedibuprofen. We have verified that the knowledge of the formation mechanism of lysozyme-dextran nanogels can beapplied to prepare other globular protein-dextran nanogels.