Bacterial Cellulose/Chitosan Hydrogels Synthesized In situ for Biomedical Application

Abstract

Objective: Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a biopolymer whose application has been limited due to the difficulty to introduce modifiable functional groups onto its network. The present study introduces new functional groups from chitosan (Chs) by in-situ method and further modified by crosslinking with genipin (Gp), a non-toxic agent. Methodology and Results: Bacterial cellulose-chitosan (BC-Chs) hydrogels were synthesized insitu, dried, immersed in genipin (Gp) solution to yield BC-Chs crosslinked hydrogel (BC-Chs-Gp) and characterized. The presence of amide 1 and II and crosslinking with genipin was revealed by FT-IR and SEM showed BC-Chs-Gp had a compact fibril network. Low tensile strength, less swelling ratio and moisture were exhibited by BC-Chs-Gp due to crosslinking. Hydrogels were active against E. coli and S. aureus. In vitro drug release studies of hydrogels using quetiapine fumarate followed the Higuchi model with a super case II transport mechanism and non-Fickian for BC-Chs-Gp. Conclusion and Application of findings. The present study utilized non-pathogenic bacteria, G. Xylinus and a natural resource (coconut) to obtain non-toxic and biocompatible hydrogels. BCChs hydrogels were prepared by simple and direct in-situ method by the introduction of Chs onto the growing network of BC and subsequently crosslinked using genipin by ex-situ modification method. The properties of the hydrogels in term of swelling ratio, moisture content, tensile strength, antibacterial activity, and their controlled drug release ability make them suitable for potential application in biomedicine, especially in transdermal patches as wound dressing and wound healing agents. Keywords: Bacterial cellulose; Chitosan; Genipin; Biocompatibility; mechanical properties.

Modified Bacterial Cellulose-Based Composite Profile for Drug Release of Tetracycline Hydrochloride

“…Similar research was experienced during the synthesis of BC-based composite with the addition the chitosan, resulting in a grey coloration. This is caused by the presence of chitosan during the composite synthesis process 21 . Graphite is characterized by flat flakes with sharp corners, while PVA appears evenly dispersed in the composite 22,23 .…”

“…This is due to the low porosity of the composite, which makes it difficult for water to fill the cavities, thus decreasing the swelling ratio 29 . The size of the swelling value is an essential parameter for drug release 21 . The composite reached its maximum swelling state at 50 minutes.…”

“…So that facilitating slow and controlled drug release. The biomedical effectiveness of the Hixon-Crowell kinetic model enables to absorb and release of drugs for application in transdermal patches 21 .…”

“…Adding antibiotics can help to identify signs of bacterial resistance to composite 21 . Figure 9 shows that adding antibiotics to BC and BC/G/PVA led to higher bacteria inhibition than before the addition and the TCHpositive control.…”