Non toxic, antibacterial, biodegradable hydrogels with pH-stimuli sensitivity: Investigation of swelling parameters

Published Date
5 September 2016, Vol.148:206–215, doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2016.04.060

Title 
Non toxic, antibacterial, biodegradable hydrogels with pH-stimuli sensitivity: Investigation of swelling parameters

• Author 

• S. Sudarsan ^a,b,
• D.S. Franklin ^b
• M. Sakthivel ^c
• S. Guhanathan ^d,,

• aDepartment of Chemistry, Periyar University, Salem 636011, Tamilnadu, India
• bDepartment of Chemistry, C. Abdul Hakeem College of Engineering and Technology, Melvisharam 632509, Tamilnadu, India
• cResearch and Development centre, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641046, Tamilnadu, India
• dPG & Research Department of Chemistry, Muthurangam Government Arts College (Autonomous), Vellore 632002, Tamilnadu, India

Received 23 January 2016. Revised 12 April 2016. Accepted 13 April 2016. Available online 3 May 2016.

Highlights

• •
  PH-sensitive hydrogels were synthesized from Sodium alginate via organic soventless green approach.
• •
  Biodegradability of hydrogel was tested against soil burial test and in vitrophosphate buffer solution test.
• •
  Detailed swelling parameters (swelling equilibrium at various pH, biological fluids and equilibrium water content) have also been investigated.
• •
  The hydrogel has shown strong antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (gram negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (gram positive) bacterias.
• •
  Cytotoxic assays indicates the non-toxic nature of hydrogels to be applicable for biomedical applications.

Abstract

In this work, a series of pH-sensitive hydrogels were synthesized from Sodium alginate (SA), Ethylene glycol (EG) and Acrylic acid (AA). Biodegradability of hydrogel was tested against soil burial test for 35 days and in vitro phosphate buffer solution test for 10 days respectively. Degradation of the sample might be due to the breakdown of ester linkage and hydrophilic pendant functionality present in hydrogel. The progression of biodegradation was examined by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Detailed swelling parameters such as swelling equilibrium S_eq (%) at various pH, biological fluids (distilled water (DW), physiological saline 0.89% NaCl (PS), iso-osmotic phosphate buffer at pH 7.4 (PB)) and equilibrium water content (EWC) have also been investigated, which revealed that dynamic compassion of hydrogels. The hydrogel has shown strong antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (gram negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (gram positive) bacteria's. Cytotoxic assays, using MTT Assay in 3T3 fibroblast Cell line was performed. At 10 μg/ml, cell viability was in the range of 92–94%. However, the cell viability (%) decreases with increasing concentration of sample. The synergistic effect of biodegradable hydrogels possessing excellent swelling properties, high water content, biocompatibility and wound healing tendency using in vivo test can be made as suitable candidate for biomedical applications. In vivo wound healing studies conducted on a Wister albino rat model of incision wound performed for 9 days. The results revealed that more accelerated wound healing have been observed even in shorter duration. Thus, the synthesized hydrogel with great pH-responsiveness and excellent drug delivery may have a great opening for biomedical applications.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

• Biodegradation
• Swelling studies
• Sodium alginate
• Cytotoxicity
• pH-sensitive

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• ⁎ 
  Corresponding author.

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