Abstract
Xanthan gum (XG) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) are two polymers with low toxicity, high biocompatibility, biodegradability, and high hydrophilicity, making them promising candidates for multiple medical aspects. The present work aimed to synthesize a hydrogel from a mixture of XG and PVP and crosslinked by gamma irradiation. We assessed the hydrogel through a series of physicochemical (FT-IR, TGA, SEM, and percentage of swelling) and biological (stability of the hydrogel in cell culture medium) methods that allowed to determine its applicability. The structural evaluation by infrared spectrum demonstrated that a crosslinked hydrogel was obtained from the combination of polymers. The calorimetric test and swelling percentage confirmed the formation of the bonds responsible for the crosslinked structure. The calorimetric test evidenced that the hydrogel was resistant to decomposition in contrast to non- irradiated material. The determination of the swelling degree showed constant behavior over time, indicating a structure resistant to hydrolysis. This phenomenon also occurred during the test of stability in a cell culture medium. Additionally, microscopic analysis of the sample revealed an amorphous matrix with the presence of porosity. Thus, the findings reveal the synthesis of a novel material that has desirable attributes for its potential application in pharmaceutical and biomedical areas.
Highlights
Hydrogels are insoluble three-dimensional networks formed from polymer chains capable of absorbing large quantities of water or biological fluids due to functional groups in their structure such as -OH, -COOH, -CONH2, and -SO3H (1–3)
One of the advantages of chemical hydrogels is that their synthesis can be carried out by different methods (11,12), including the crosslinking by gamma radiation
The hydrogel was prepared as follows: 36 g of PVP k-30 was added in 400 mL of distilled water and was stirred until its dissolution, soon after 4 g of Xanthan gum (XG) was added to the same mixture, generating an aqueous solution in proportion 9:1
Summary
Hydrogels are insoluble three-dimensional networks formed from polymer chains capable of absorbing large quantities of water or biological fluids due to functional groups in their structure such as -OH-, -COOH, -CONH2, and -SO3H (1–3). Their applications include the control of drug release (4) and tissue repair (5–7), which is part of tissue engineering, in which hydrogels function as scaffolding that provides a supporting structure for cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation (8). One of the advantages of chemical hydrogels is that their synthesis can be carried out by different methods (11,12), including the crosslinking by gamma radiation.
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