Synthesis and characterization of both ionically and enzymatically cross-linkable alginate.

Alginate with phenol moieties in the polymer side chains was synthesized through the conjugation reaction of alginate and tyramine. Immersing an aqueous solution of the alginate containing horseradish peroxidase into a solution containing H(2)O(2) caused the solution to gel via peroxidase-catalyzed oxidative coupling of the phenols. In addition, alginate prepared under appropriate reaction conditions retained the attractive properties associated with unmodified alginate; spherical gel beads were formed by dropping an aqueous alginate solution (1.0wt.%) into a solution containing calcium ions. The oxidative coupling of the phenols was effective for suppressing the destabilization of the alginate gel resulting from a loss of bonding between the divalent cations and alginate. The mechanical properties of the resultant gels were influenced by the preparation conditions of the alginate and the type of cross-linking.