I'm trying to slow down the gelling of 4 arm peg maleimide crosslinked with peg dithiol.
I'm using (at the moment) 20 kDa 4 arm peg maleimide + 1 kDa Peg Dithiol. the buffer solution i'm using is 0.4mM TEA in PBS (pH 5.75) for 4 arm peg maleimide and stock PBS (pH 7.7) for Peg dithiol.
Once i pippete mix the two solutions there is quick gelling process. Can this be slowed down, so that i can inject the mixed solution into a mould?
Does anyone have experience of injectable 4 arm peg maleimide using the same reaction as above?
Note: I dont want to change the percentage weight of either the monomer or the crosslinker. I think i need to change the pH of the buffer solution
Yes, the problem with high pH values is that the reaction happens to quickly. When I reduced the pH to 5-6, the gelling time took too long. So I decided to add 0.4 mM TEA.
I'm trying to reach a steady gelling time. Once the monomer and cross linker has been pippet mixed I want to transfer them to another vial so they can gel.
Possibly I want to reduce the gelling time of Peg maleimide to the same time it takes for peg acrylate to gel with same conditions.
Hello dear, you have to reduce the pH of the system (4.5-5.5). Therefore you can reduce the TEA amount in the system.
Hello Karthik,
The maleimide reaction with thiol groups should be run in the pH range from 6.5 to 7.5 (see Bioconjugate Techniques by Hermanson). It is hard to say what your pH is without knowing your buffer strengths and the volume of your two solutions. I would recommend setting up a series of Eppendorf tubes and running a pH titration to find the optimal gelling time for your application. Good luck!
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