Dynamic imine bond based chitosan smart hydrogel with magnified mechanical strength for controlled drug delivery

Hydrogel finds an interesting candidate in the biomedical field due to their unique properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, soft as tissue etc. In the reported research article natural biopolymer i.e. chitosan based hydrogel was developed via condensation reaction with cuminaldehyde. Chitosan and cuminaldehyde were used for the gel formation by covalent bonding between free amino group and carbonyl group of chitosan & cuminaldehyde respectively. A series of hydrogel has been developed by taking different concentration of cuminaldehyde (6-10 mmol). Chemical structure of the synthesized hydrogel was further confirmed by FTIR. The surface morphology of the synthesized hydrogel was confirmed from the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Prepared hydrogel was swelled very fast similar to the super-porous hydrogel along with rapid self-healing property which is confirmed by rheology statistics. Mechanical strength of the hydrogel was investigated from the rheology analysis and demonstrates good mechanical properties i.e. storage modulus (G') found to 10⁷ pa. Further, the sustained release of hydrophilic drug i.e. levofloxacin from the hydrogel matrix at different pH range 6-7 has been carried out. Hydrogel with maximum cuminaldehyde amount releases max drug i.e. 96% while hydrogel with 6 mmol shows minimum drug release i.e.54%. Hydrogel shows controlled release of levofloxacin up to 90 h. The present research work revealed that produced hydrogel will become a promising candidate in biomedical field.