On physical and antibacterial properties and drug release behavior of poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels: effect of drug loaded chitosan nanoparticles

This paper deals with influence of chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) loaded by tetracycline, as a drug, on the physico-mechanical and antibacterial properties as well as drug release behavior of poly(vinyl alcohol), PVA, hydrogels prepared by electron beam irradiation. The formation of spherical chitosan particles in nanoscale size prepared by an ionic gelation method was confirmed by FTIR and UV spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy analyses. The drug release kinetic studies from drug loaded chitosan nanoparticles (DLCNPs) at pH = 7.4 revealed a linear and steady release behavior over long period of time. The theoretical analysis of the swelling kinetic data, using Peppas’s model showed that the swelling kinetic is governed by Fickian diffusion for all the prepared hydrogels, however, the water diffusion coefficient, and therefore, the swelling content were lower for the hydrogels loaded with DLCNPs as compared to the ones with the neat drug. In agreement with these results, the hydrogels containing DLCNPs exhibited a more controlled drug release behavior with significantly stronger antibacterial activity. The tensile mechanical properties of the hydrogels not affected by the DLCNPs were found to be suitable for wound dressing applications.