Recent progress on curdlan provided by functionalization strategies

Curdlan, a high molecular weight 1,3-beta-D-glucan, is a natural biomaterial that has shown practical applications in food industry as a gelling agent and texture modifier. Simultaneously curdlan and chemically modified curdlan have also shown promise for biomedical applications. Although this exopolysaccharide possesses many advantages, such as unique gelling properties, mild conditions of processing, non-digestibility and non-cytotoxicity, the poor water solubility, the lack of specific attachment sites for anchorage-dependent cells and processability of curdlan are not totally satisfactory in different biomedical contexts. However, the multiple hydroxyl groups in repeating unit of curdlan can be used for chemical modification and functionalization in order to optimize its physicochemical and biological properties. A number of chemical modification approaches have been employed. This review outlines the recent progresses for curdlan and its derivatives, and identifies the new challenges in the gelation mechanism and chemical modifications. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.