Graphene Oxide-Functionalized Bacterial Cellulose-Gelatin Hydrogel with Curcumin Release and Kinetics: In Vitro...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Biopolymer-based bioactive hydrogels offer superior properties for wound healing.
• Key properties include hydrophilicity, tunable mechanics, biodegradability, and biocompatibility.
• Advanced wound dressings are crucial for effective tissue regeneration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and characterize novel bioactive hydrogels for wound healing applications.
• To evaluate the structural, mechanical, swelling, and drug release properties.
• To assess the cytocompatibility, antibacterial efficacy, and hemocompatibility of the developed hydrogels.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of hydrogels using bacterial cellulose (BC), gelatin, and graphene oxide (GO).
• Synthesis of GO-functionalized BC (GO-f-BC) via hydrothermal method and crosslinking with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS).
• Characterization using FTIR, SEM, UTM; swelling analysis; Franz diffusion for curcumin release; cell viability assays (3T3 fibroblast); antibacterial testing; hemolysis assay.

Main Results:

• Successful fabrication of bioactive hydrogels with tunable properties.
• Maximum swelling observed in aqueous media.
• Curcumin release followed Hixson-Crowell kinetics, with release up to 69.32%.
• Promising cell viability, proliferation, significant antibacterial activity, and hemocompatibility (<0.5% hemolysis).

Conclusions:

• The developed bioactive hydrogels demonstrate excellent potential as advanced wound dressing materials.
• The combination of BC, gelatin, and GO results in a multifunctional material for wound management.
• Further research is warranted to explore their clinical efficacy in wound healing applications.