Evaluating the Efficiency of Chitosan-Graphene Oxide Hybrid Hydrogels as Drug Delivery Systems |
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Authors: | Mariagrazia Di Luca Ensieh Poursani Manuela Curcio Giuseppe Cirillo Antonietta Salerno Sara Bolognini Giovanni De Filpo Sara Filippi Orazio Vittorio Francesca Iemma Fiore Pasquale Nicoletta |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, 56100 Italy;2. Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW, 2052 Australia;3. Department of Pharmacy Health and Nutritional Science, University of Calabria, Rende, 87036 Italy;4. Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies, University of Calabria, Rende, 87036 Italy;5. Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, 56122 Italy;6. School of Biomedical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW, 2052 Australia |
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Abstract: | With the objective of creating an electro-responsive and antimicrobial device suitable as delivery system for Rose Bengal (RB) to the skin, a hybrid hydrogel combining Chitosan (CS) and Graphene Oxide (GO) are designed, serving as functional polymer support and active filling element, respectively. The hybrid system, synthesized using tripolyphosphate as a crosslinker via ionic gelation, shows a uniform and homogeneous surface, as verified by SEM investigations, high biocompatibility when tested on human fibroblast lung cells MRC-5 cells, and biodegradability in phosphate buffered medium at physiological pH. Drug loading and release experiments, extensively analyzed using suitable mathematical modeling, shows the enhancement of the binding efficiency conferred by GO (534 and 979 mg g?1 for blank and hybrid hydrogels, respectively) and an electro-responsive behavior (maximum BR release of 36 and 23% at 0 and 12 V, respectively). Additionally, hybrid hydrogel is found to prevent the adhesion of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and to kill the bacterial cells by taking advantage of the sustained release of the antimicrobial RB. |
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Keywords: | antimicrobial chitosan electro-responsive release graphene oxide hybrid hydrogels |
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