Collagen-Based Hydrogel with Incorporated Nano-Hydroxyapatite for the Delivery of a Poorly Water-Soluble Drug

Abstract

The goal of our research described here was to prepare a class of biocompatible composite hydrogel beads as a delivery system for the poorly soluble drug, cefixime. Hydrogel beads were synthesized using collagen (Col) and hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles both extracted from fish wastes, and chitosan (Chi), for oral drug delivery. The in-vitro cytotoxicity of the Col showed good enough cell viability (95.51%) to be used as a potential candidate for biomedical applications, including tissue engineering and drug delivery. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to determine the crystallinity and functional groups of the synthesized hydrogel beads. The fibrous structure of the beads was confirmed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. The 1:1 ratio of Col:Chi without HA, resulted in a maximum swelling degree of 2010% and a drug release percentage of 93%. As the concentration of Col was increased, the swelling and cefixime release decreased. Adding HA NPs to the hydrogel structure led to an average 10% reduction in cefixime release compared to samples without HA. The release rate kinetics followed the first order and Korsmeyer-Peppas models, proving the diffusion was the controlling factor. The results showed that the mentioned hydrogel beads had a great potential delivery platform to achieve the controlled release of cefixime.