Synthesis and Characterization of pH-Sensitive Chitosan/Hyaluronic Acid/Fe۳O۴ Magnetic Nanocomposite Hydrogels for Ciprofloxacin Release

Hydrogels have emerged as a promising platform for drug delivery systems owing to their tunable biodegradability, biocompatibility, and remarkable resemblance to the extracellular matrix. They are soft, elastic, three-dimensional networks of polymers that can absorb large amounts of water, and also respond to external stimuli like pH, temperature, light, and magnetic field. This study investigates the fabrication of novel Fe۳O۴ magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) imprinted Chitosan/Hyaluronic acid (Cs/HA) hybrid hydrogels for release of ciprofloxacin as a widely utilized fluoroquinolone antibiotic that exhibits broad-spectrum antibacterial efficacy. The physicochemical characteristics of the synthesized magnetic nanocomposite hydrogel were comprehensively evaluated through FT-IR, FE-SEM, EDX mapping, TEM, VSM, XRD, TGA, swelling behavior analysis, and drug release assays. Notably, TEM and EDX mapping revealed a uniform dispersion of nanosized Fe۳O۴ MNPs within the Cs/HA hydrogel matrix, indicating a well-controlled synthesis. Furthermore, the incorporation of Fe۳O۴ MNPs was observed to enhance the hydrogel's swelling capacity. The pH-responsive Cs/HA/Fe۳O۴ nanocomposite hydrogel facilitated a sustained release of CFX, achieving a high entrapment efficiency of ۹۳% and a complete release (۱۰۰%) within ۱۳ hours across varying pH conditions. In vitro antibacterial assessments demonstrated a significant zone of inhibition against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains for the drug-loaded hydrogel. Cytotoxicity evaluations, including the determination of cell viability percentages at specific concentrations and the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC۵۰), suggest a favorable biocompatibility profile for the Cs/HA/Fe۳O۴ hydrogel.

کلیدواژه ها:

Magnetic nanocomposite hydrogel ، pH-responsive hydrogel ، Hyaluronic acid ، Chitosan ، Ciprofloxacin