SuberSkin - plant defensive polymers in wound healing

Abstract

"A method for the extraction of suberin from cork using two different ionic liquids, cholinium hexanoate and cholinium decanoate, was optimised through the use of a home-built reactor. The use of stirring was essential to enhance the recovery yield of suberin. The extraction of suberin with cholinium hexanoate was fully optimised, whereas that with cholinium decanoate though promising needs further optimisation. Liquid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gas phase chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC- MS), high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic light scattering (DLS) were used to characterize the extracted suberin. Limited amounts of suberin samples extracted with cholinium decanoate were attained due to low recovery yields. The most remarkable observation was attained using NMR which allowed us to disclose the different configurations of acyl-glycerol ester bonds present in the extracted polymer (i.e. its degree of cross linking). The obtained suberin was used to cast waterproof films; this process was optimized.(...)"