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Biodegradable sodium alginate-based semi-interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels for antibacterial application
K Madhusudana Rao1, K S V Krishna Rao, G Ramanjaneyulu
1Department of Chemistry, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur, 515 003, India; Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, 609-735, Korea.
Journal of Biomedical Materials Research. Part A
|October 24, 2013
Summary
Biodegradable hydrogels incorporating silver nanoparticles demonstrate significant antibacterial properties. These novel nanocomposite hydrogels show promise for applications in wound dressings and water purification.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Science
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Biodegradable polymers are crucial for advanced biomedical applications.
- Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) possess potent antimicrobial properties.
- Developing effective wound dressings and water purification systems remains a priority.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize novel semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) hydrogels.
- To incorporate silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into the semi-IPN hydrogel matrix.
- To evaluate the cytocompatibility and antibacterial efficacy of the resulting silver nanocomposite hydrogels.
Main Methods:
- Semi-IPN hydrogels synthesized using carbohydrate polymer, sodium alginate (NaAlg), acrylamide, and dimethyl aminoethyl methacrylate.
- Radical redox polymerization employed for crosslinking with N,N-methylenebisacrylamide.
- In situ reduction of Ag+ ions using NaBH4 for AgNP formation within the hydrogel.
- Characterization via UV-visible spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
- In vitro cytocompatibility assessed using mouse fibroblast cell lines.
- Antibacterial activity evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.
Main Results:
- Successful synthesis of biodegradable semi-IPN hydrogels.
- Confirmation of AgNP formation within the hydrogel matrix using UV-Vis and TGA (32% weight loss difference).
- TEM revealed AgNPs with an average size of approximately 5 nm.
- SEM provided insights into the morphology and structure of AgNPs within the hydrogel.
- The silver nanocomposite hydrogel exhibited significant antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
- In vitro studies indicated good cytocompatibility of the hydrogels.
Conclusions:
- The synthesized silver nanocomposite hydrogels are cytocompatible and possess potent antibacterial properties.
- The developed hydrogels, with embedded AgNPs, are suitable for wound dressing applications.
- These materials also show potential for water purification due to their antimicrobial efficacy.
