pH-Responsive Hydrogel Beads Based on Alginate, κ-Carrageenan and Poloxamer for Enhanced Curcumin, Natural Bioactive Compound, Encapsulation and Controlled Release Efficiency
, Milan D. Antonijević 2, Biljana Ljujić 3, Marina Miletić Kovačević 4, Marina Gazdić Janković 3 and Zorka D. Stanić 1,*Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Line 71-72: However, this may also lead to the formation of a precipitate. – explain this sentence; formation of calcium insoluble salts in the presence of certain anions or…?
TGA thermograms- use the same y-scale for both graphs and compare the results.
2.6. The kinetics of release (line 407 and further): Which parameter do you choose to describe the best kinetic model? The table you present show that the Korsmeyer−Peppas model has the highest correlation coefficients. You need to explain your claims (same in the conclusion). Also, can you include the Baker-Lonsdale model (common for spherical matrices)?
Include the reference(s) about poloxamer 407 nontoxicity, since you don’t have a cytotoxicity test in your study.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
The research work was well planned and executed correctly. In addition to the presented work, the authors need to study the plasma concentration of CUR in mice/rats after oral administration.
Additionally, the authors need to describe the physical characteristics of the polymers used, namely, molecular weight distribution, M/G ratio for alginate, degree of sulfation for carrageenan etc.
The inflammatory response of the developed beads needs to be studied as carrageenan is known to cause an inflammatory response.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
The authors have satisfactorily addressed all the comments.
