Dual use of poly(3-sulfopropyl acrylate)/pectin hydrogels functionalized with silver and quantum dots for antibacterial wound care and sustained doxorubicin delivery

In this study, poly(3-sulfopropyl acrylate)/pectin hydrogels were synthesized by redox polymerization and their usability was demonstrated for two different applications. Silver nanoparticles used for the modification of the hydrogels were obtained by in-situ green synthesis in a hydrogel matrix using avocado pit extract and their antibacterial properties were investigated. In addition, hydrogels modified with quantum dots were used for the release of doxorubicin, a cancer drug. The synthesized hydrogels and composites were characterized by TEM, SEM, XRD, FT-IR, TGA and swelling tests. The p(SPA)/pectin@Ag hydrogel modified with silver nanoparticles showed strong antibacterial activity after cefazolin loading and achieved 91.6% cumulative drug release in approximately 300 h, conforming to Weibull kinetics. The p(SPA)/pectin@QD hydrogel composites modified with cadmium sulfide quantum dots exhibited high doxorubicin loading capacity and a pH-sensitive stable release profile, reaching 81.2% cumulative drug release in approximately 300 h. This behavior, which fits the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, demonstrates the suitability of the hydrogel composites for controlled chemotherapeutic drug delivery. In addition, cytotoxicity assay was performed on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells, and the cytotoxic effects of 10 and 5 mu g/mL doses were found to be 23.0 +/- 2.6% and 42.3 +/- 2.37%.