Synthesis of polymeric hydrogels incorporating chlorhexidine gluconate as antibacterial wound dressings

Antibacterial hydrogels based on poly(sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate) and gelatin and incorporating chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) as a drug were fabricated. The work focused on the effects of varying the CHG concentration. The hydrogel containing 0.02% w/v of CHG was chosen as the drug-loaded hydrogel for comparison with the hydrogel with no drug. From the drug release results, it was found that only 2-5% CHG was released, indicating that the CHG strongly interacted with the hydrogel network. To confirm the antibacterial efficiency of the hydrogels, the shake-flask method and scanning electron microscopy were employed. The antibacterial activity of the drug-loaded hydrogels showed a 7-log reduction for S. aureus gram-positive and a 5-6-log reduction for E. coli gram-negative bacteria. In addition, an MTT assay was performed to evaluate their potential cytotoxicity and showed a percentage cell viability after 24 h of more than 70% which classified them as being non-cytotoxic. In conclusion, the hydrogels containing CHG are considered as one of the interesting candidates for potential biomedical use as antibacterial wound dressings. Further in vivo investigations are planned.[Figure: see text].