Development of Arabinoxylan-based hydrogels to Support Cancer Cell Growth and Development

Biopolymers are functional materials, and polymers derived from plant byproducts are of great interest to researchers and professionals across various disciplines. In addition to their application in the food industry, polymers are used as materials for drug transport, medical implant organs, wound healing, and dressing. Bioactive polymeric materials interact with biological surroundings and support cell growth and development. Arabinoxylans (AX) are the main non-starch polysaccharides in cereals and other plants, mainly composed of xylose and arabinose, with the ester linkage of phenolic acids with arabinose conferring the bioactive properties of AX. The biocompatibility and anti-inflammatory properties of AX make it suitable for tissue engineering and other medical purposes. The backbone of AX is like that of glycosaminoglycans, the major extracellular matrix (ECM) of some tissue cells of the human body. Henceforth, AX-based scaffolds can facilitate and support cell growth and proliferation. We are working to develop AX-based hydrogels that support the growth and development of breast cancer cells. We have extracted AX from wheat bran (WBAX) and sugar beet pulp (SBAX) and developed various hydrogels with varying proportions of Na-Alginate, collagen, WBAX, and SBAX. The resulta