Periodate oxidation of tragacanth gum and evaluation of physicochemical and biological properties of oxidized tragacanth gum

This study investigated how varying degrees of oxidation (DO) affect the physicochemical and biological properties of tragacanth gum (TG). The oxidized tragacanth gum (OTG) was characterized using multiple analytical techniques: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (¹H NMR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), rheological analysis. In this study, the highest level of oxidation reached 57%, indicating effective oxidation of TG. While aldehyde peaks were not clearly visible in the FTIR spectrum due to their existence in masked hemiacetal form, NMR analysis revealed a new peak at 5.38 ppm. The absence of an expected aldehyde peak at 9.7 ppm further supported hemiacetal formation. SEM analysis demonstrated that with increasing oxidation degree, the pore size decreased to (23 ± 0.8) µm. In addition, higher DO resulted in decreased rheological properties and thermal stability, while the introduced aldehyde groups conferred antibacterial properties on the modified gum. The blood compatibility test results for TG and OTG samples show less than 0.2% and 1% hemolysis, respectively. Furthermore, cell viability remained above 85% after three days of cell culture, thoroughly verifying the safety of the synthetic material for medical applications.