Abstract:

Dextrans were oxidized using sodium periodate (NaIO4) to obtain products with aldehyde groups, which further reacted with amino (－NH2) groups of human serum albumin (HSA) to form unstable Schiff's base, and stable neoglycoprotein was then obtained in the presence of NaCNBH3 as reductant. In this study, the conjugation between human serum albumin and dextrans was investigated with respect to the effects of dextran type, amount of NaIO4 used for dextran oxidization, ratio between oxidized selected dextran and HSA, and reaction time. The optimum reaction conditions for the conjugation between human serum albumin and dextrans were found to be: dextran T40/NaIO4 molar ratio 1:187, environmental pH 9.0, and oxidized dextran T40/HSA molar ratio 4:1 for a reaction duration of 12 h. In addition, larger amounts of NaIO4 were required for the oxidation of dextrans with larger molecular weight; the higher degree of oxidation (DO), the higher degree of grafting (DG).

Key words: human serum albumin (HSA), dextran, oxidation, degree of oxidation (DO)