Modification of Seaweed Polysaccharide-agarose and Its Application as Skin Dressing——Degradation of Agarose and Its Features

Low molecular weight agarose is obtained through the degradation of agarose with hydrogen peroxide. Its chemical structure is determined by IR spectroscopy.The molecular weights are measured by viscosimetry. The formation of agarose gel is monitored by scattered light turbidimeter.The degraded agarose are examined with acute toxicity test and subcutaneous implanting test.Various agaroses with different molecular weight are obtained by controlling the degradation time.Titration analysis proved that epoxy group can be coupled into agarose effectively. The molecular weight of agarose is kept at 14,700 after 15h degradation.With decrease of agarose molecule,agarose solution has lower gelling rate and lower gel strength.The degraded agarose has few aldhydrate groups and is reduced with NaBHj.The degraded agarose lost faster than the original one in subcutaneous implantation.The agarose with small molecular weight is obtained with hydrogen peroxide,and has low gel temperature and extends gel time and raises degradation rate.The modified agarose has promise in medical application.