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Direct preparation of gels from herbal medicinal plants by using a low toxicity liquid zwitterion

Polymer Journal volume 52, pages 467–472 (2020)Cite this article

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Abstract

Gels containing the medicinal ingredients of licorice were formed by dissolving herbal medicinal plants into a biocompatible zwitterionic cellulose solvent and successive precipitation. The licorice gels gradually released glycyrrhizic acid, the main medicinal ingredient in licorice, within 3 h. Although the licorice gels were mechanically weak, the gel strength was improved just by the addition of cellulose during the preparation of the gels.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported in part by the COI program “Construction of next-generation infrastructure using innovative materials – Realization of a safe and secure society that can coexist with the Earth for centuries”, which is supported by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology - Japan (MEXT) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), the Advanced Low Carbon Technology Research and Development Program (ALCA, No. JPMJAL1104) and the Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP) of the JST. This study was also partly supported by KAKENHI (18K14281 from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) and the Leading Initiative for Excellent Young Researchers (from MEXT).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, Institute of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan

    Chiaki Kodo, Kosuke Kuroda & Kenji Takahashi

  2. Academic Foundations Programs Project Education Center, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Ohgigaoka, Nonoichi, 921-8501, Japan

    Keisuke Miyazaki

  3. Innovative Composite Materials Research and Development Center, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Yatsukaho, Kanazawa, 924-0838, Japan

    Hisai Ueda

  4. Institute for Frontier Science Initiative, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan

    Kazuaki Ninomiya

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  1. Chiaki Kodo
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  2. Kosuke Kuroda
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  3. Keisuke Miyazaki
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  6. Kenji Takahashi
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Correspondence to Kosuke Kuroda.

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Kodo, C., Kuroda, K., Miyazaki, K. et al. Direct preparation of gels from herbal medicinal plants by using a low toxicity liquid zwitterion. Polym J 52, 467–472 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41428-019-0289-x

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