Mucin hydrogels - artificial models of native mucus systems

The scope of this masters thesis is the preparation of a model mucin system and its utilization as an artificial model of the native mucus system. The creation of this model system, according to several designed methods was a part of experimental part of the thesis. The preparation of mucin system comprised of physical and chemical methods of hydrogel formation, screening and characterisation of the various physical conditions of the mucin properties on its molecular level, and the preparation of sorbent with sorption surface containing mucin. Methods of light scattering, namely dynamic light scattering (DLS), used for mucin particles size change monitoring, and electroforetic light scattering (ELS), used for Zeta potential change monitoring, were used for the screening of the impact of physical factors on the properties of mucin.For the characterisation of impact of the temperature on changes in mucin sctructure was, apart from monitoring of light scattering, used also a diferential scanning calorimetry (DSC), which registered temperature value, at which mucin thermal denaturation occurs. In the next part of the thesis we subdued the created sorption surfaces to various physical-chemical analyses, which task is the characterisation and projection of surface and confirmation of mucin presence.Substancial part in monitoring and characterisation of changes in surface sctructure of sorption surface was accomplished by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Scanning electron microscophy (SEM) was used for the final, more detailed, projection of the mucin enriched, sorbent surface structure. Suggested methods of mucin hydrogel, didnt prove sufficient results for the possibility of application of hydrogel as a artificial model of real mucus system, but the sorbent application was indicated as a suitable alternative and an instrument for the further mucin behaviour research and possibly subsequent bacterial adhesion, which represents the first step in the formation of the bacterial biofilm