Preparation and characterization of antibacterial bacterial cellulose/ chitosan hydrogels impregnated with silver sulfadiazine

Hydrogels with pH sensitivity and stable mechanical and antibacterial properties have many desirable qualities and broad applications. A hydrogel based on bacterial cellulose and chitosan, impregnated with silver sulfa-diazine (<1% w/w), was prepared using glutaraldehyde as the crosslinking agent. The presence of SSd was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Micropore size, swelling ratio, pH-sensitivity, and gram positive and negative antibacterial properties were studied by disk diffusion and colony forming unit. X-ray diffraction confirmed the presence of amorphous and crystalline regions in the hydrogel matrix following addition of SSd. The elemental composition, morphology, and mechanical properties of the hydrogels were characterized. Incorporation of SSd into bacterial cellulose-chitosan hydrogels significantly improved their mechanical and antibacterial properties. The antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus was evaluated and SSd-BC/Ch hydrogels are more toxic to S. aureus than to E. coli. We use FESEM to observe bacterial morphology before and after exposure to SSd-BC/Ch hydrogels. The BacLight LIVE/DEAD membrane permeability kit is used to evaluate the membrane permeability of bacteria. These antibacterial hydrogels have many promising appli-cations in food packaging, tissue engineering, drug delivery, clinical, biotechnological, and biomedical fields.

Automated summary

The study prepared a hydrogel based on bacterial cellulose and chitosan, with the addition of silver sulfadiazine and crosslinked with glutaraldehyde. The incorporation of SSd significantly improved the mechanical and antibacterial properties of the hydrogel. The hydrogel showed higher toxicity to S. aureus than to E. coli.