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Silver Release Diffusion Modeling and Biological Performance of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)/Alginate Hydrogels with Embedded
Vesna Mišković-Stanković1, Ana Janković2, Aleksandra Perić Grujić3
1Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Protection, University Union-Nikola Tesla, Cara Dusana 62-64, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
|August 13, 2026
Summary
Silver nanoparticles embedded in poly(vinyl alcohol)/alginate hydrogels show strong antibacterial activity and biocompatibility. A general fractional derivative model accurately predicts controlled silver release for potential wound dressing applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Materials Chemistry
Background:
- Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) possess potent antimicrobial properties.
- Hydrogels offer versatile platforms for drug delivery and tissue engineering.
- Controlled release of silver ions is crucial for therapeutic efficacy and minimizing toxicity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize silver nanoparticle-loaded poly(vinyl alcohol)/alginate hydrogels.
- To evaluate the antibacterial activity and biocompatibility of the composite hydrogels.
- To model and predict the silver release kinetics from the hydrogel matrix.
Main Methods:
- Electrochemical embedding of AgNPs into PVA/alginate hydrogels.
- Spectroscopic characterization (UV-Vis, FTIR) for AgNP incorporation.
- Antibacterial assays against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.
- MTT assays for assessing cytotoxicity on L929 and MRC-5 cell lines.
- Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) for quantifying silver release.
- Analysis of release kinetics using a general fractional derivative (GFD) model.
Main Results:
- Successful incorporation of AgNPs into PVA/alginate hydrogels confirmed.
- Complete eradication of S. aureus and E. coli within 1 hour of exposure.
- High cell viability (>80%) for L929 and MRC-5 cells, indicating good biocompatibility.
- The GFD model provided the best fit for silver release data, with low fitting errors (R=0.0014 and R=0.0051).
- Accurate determination of the silver diffusion coefficient using the GFD model.
Conclusions:
- Silver/PVA/alginate hydrogels exhibit significant antibacterial efficacy and biocompatibility.
- The GFD model accurately describes and predicts silver release kinetics.
- These AgNP-loaded hydrogels show great promise as advanced wound dressing materials with controlled antimicrobial delivery.
