Infrared and Fluorescence Spectroscopic Investigations of the Acyl Surface Modification of Hydrogel Beads for the Deposition of a Phospholipid Coating

The scaffolded vesicle has been employed as an alternative means of developing natural model membranes and envisioned as a potential nutraceutical transporter. Furthering the research of the scaffolded vesicle system, a nucleophilic substitution reaction was implemented to form an ester linkage between palmitate and terminal hydroxyl groups of dextran in order to hydrophobically modify the hydrogel scaffold. An average tilt angle of 38° of the hydrophobic palmitate modifying layer on the surface of the hydrogel was determined from dichroic ratios obtained from infrared spectra collected in the attenuated total reflection (ATR) configuration. ATR-IR studies of the DMPC-coated acylated hydrogel demonstrated that the hydrocarbon chains of the DMPC coating was similar to those of the DMPC bilayers and that the underlying palmitate layer had a negligible effect on the average tilt angle (26°) of the DMPC coating. The permeability of this acylated hydrogel was investigated with fluorescence spectroscopy and the...