The Effect of Halloysite Addition on the Material Properties of Chitosan-Halloysite Hydrogel Composites.

Luo Luo,Mills Mills

doi:10.3390/gels5030040

Abstract

Chitosan-based hydrogels are being widely used in biomedical applications due to their eco-friendly, biodegradable, and biocompatible properties, and their ability to mimic the extracellular matrix of many tissues. However, the application of chitosan hydrogels has been limited due to their inherent mechanical weakness. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are naturally occurring aluminosilicate clay minerals and are widely used as a bulk filler to improve the performance characteristics of many polymeric materials. HNTs have also been shown to be a viable nanocontainer able to provide the sustained release of antibiotics, chemicals, and growth factors. This study’s objective was to develop a stable drug delivery chitosan/HNT nanocomposite hydrogel that is biocompatible, biodegradable, and provides sustained drug release. In this study, chitosan/HNTs hydrogels containing undoped or gentamicin-doped HNTs were combined in different wt./wt. ratios and cross-linked with tripolyphosphate. The effects of chitosan and HNTs concentration and combination ratios on the hydrogel surface morphology, degradability, and mechanical properties, as well as its drug release capability, were analyzed. The results clearly showed that the addition of HNTs improved chitosan mechanical properties, but only within a narrow range. The nanocomposite hydrogels provided a sustained pattern of drug release and inhibited bacterial growth, and the live/dead assay showed excellent cytocompatibility.

Highlights

Oral ingestion and intravascular injection of antibiotics have a lengthy application history and are primarily used in the control of infection post-surgical infection
CS and CS/Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) hydrogels were dropped into 10% tripolyphosphate (TPP) solution
In terms of the chitosan/HNT composite’s potential as a drug delivery system, the results of the drug release profile analysis showed a doped drug could be released in a sustained fashion, and bacteria growth inhibition tests indicate that the release of gentamicin was able to inhibit bacterial growth

Summary

Introduction

Oral ingestion and intravascular injection of antibiotics have a lengthy application history and are primarily used in the control of infection post-surgical infection. There is a high risk of negative side effects [1,2]. These side effects are principally due systemic administration through the blood vascular system and not directly to the target tissue [3]. Frequent administration of antibiotics is required to achieve the dosage levels needed to eliminate the infection, and this regimen has the potential to severely impact unaffected tissues resulting in additional medical issues for the patient, such as gastric, hematological, neurological, dermatological, allergic and other disorders [3]. An implantable drug delivery system that can provide a defined drug load directly to the affected tissue is one strategy to resolve this problem. Chitosan and halloysite were used to construct and test composite hydrogels that differed in percent concentration of these materials

Objectives

Results

Discussion

Conclusion