Polysaccharide research by ssNMR

A growing research focus of the group is on the use of solid-state NMR to study the (bio)chemical and structural aspects of polysaccharides, in context ranging from extracellular matrices (ECM) in tissues to human-made (smart) hydrogels with and without chemical modifications. Polysaccharides and proteoglycans have many important functions in the human body, and in nature in general. Polysaccharides fulfill many structural roles in plants and fungi, with downstream implications for plant-based bio-materials as well as food science.

In our group we use and develop NMR methods for analysis of polysaccharides, including alginates [2,6], hyaluronic acid [3,5], cellulose [7,8] and other variants. Solid-state NMR is a unique tool to dissect the structures, dynamics, hydration, and chemical modifications of polysaccharides, especially when in context of nanoparticles, hydrogels or low-hydration conditions. Crucially, we can probe structural properties of the polymers with 13C-detected 1D and 2D MAS NMR, while also detecting and quantifying chemical modifications. Moreover, 1H-detected MAS NMR can probe the properties of associated water molecules, distinguishing different types of hydration water types. While much of our studies are done on materials from natural sources (unlabeled), we also work on 13C-enriched polysaccharides, enabling a deep structural and dynamic analysis by advanced NMR methods [3,5].

Related publications from the group

  1. Use of solid-state NMR spectroscopy for investigating polysaccharide-based hydrogels: A review. El Hariri El Nokab, M. & Van der Wel, P.C.A. (2020) Carbohydrate Polymers, 240: 116276. [DOI]
  2. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy insights for resolving different water pools in alginate hydrogels. Mustapha El Hariri El Nokab, Alessia Lasorsa, Khaled O Sebakhy, Francesco Picchioni, & Patrick CA van der Wel (2022) Food Hydrocolloids. 107500. [DOI].
  3. Production of isotopically enriched high molecular weight hyaluronic acid and characterization by solid-state NMR. Rampratap, P.; Lasorsa, A.; Perrone, B.; Van Der Wel, P. C. A.; Walvoort, M. T. C. (2023) Carbohydrate Polymers 316: 121063 [DOI]
  4. Combinations of arginine and pullulan reveal the selective effect of stabilization mechanisms on different lyophilized proteins. Nguyen et al. (2024) International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 123938 [DOI]
  5. Resolving Atomic-Level Dynamics and Interactions of High-Molecular-Weight Hyaluronic Acid by Multidimensional Solid-State NMR. Rampratap, P.; Lasorsa, A.; Arunachalam, A.; Kamperman, M.; Walvoort, M. T. C.; Van der Wel, P. C. A. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2024, 16 (33), 43317–43328. [DOI]
  6. Probing photochemically-induced dynamic transitions by magic-angle-spinning NMR combined with in-situ irradiation.Alessia Lasorsa, Pieter van der Meulen, Ernst Naumann, Michael M. Lerch, Maria Rosa Marquez-Garcia, Xiaohong Lan, Katja Loos, Ben L. Feringa, Wiktor Szymanski & Patrick C.A. van der Wel* (2025) J. Mat. Chem. A in press  [DOI]
  7. Candida rugosa Lipase Bioconjugation to Cellulose Nanocrystals with High Immobilization Efficiency: Comparison with Nonspecific Approach. Spagnuolo, L.; Lasorsa, A.; D’Orsi, R.; Capodieci, L.; Hassan Omar, O.; Micheli, L.; Van Der Wel, P. C. A.*; Operamolla, A. * (2026) Biomacromolecules in press  [DOI]
  8. In-depth characterization of tertiary cellulose from wastewater treatment facilities. Slama de Freitas et al (2026) Biomass and Bioenergy in press[DOI]