Gellan gum spongy-like hydrogel-based dual antibiotic therapy for infected diabetic wounds

Validation of electrochemical device setup for detection of dual antibiotic drug release from hydrogel

Due to antimicrobial resistance that occurs throughout the world, antibiotic-releasing hydrogel with at least two drugs that synergistically treat stubborn bacteria is preferable for infection prevention. Hydrogel can serve as a drug reservoir to gradually release drugs in a therapeutic window to effectively treat microorganisms with minimal side effects. The study and development of drug releasing hydrogels requires a reliable, straightforward, cost-effective, fast, and low labor-intensive drug detection technique. In this study, we validate the electrochemical technique and device setup for real-time determination of dual antibacterial drugs released from a hydrogel. Concentrations of two representative antibacterial drugs, tetracycline (TC) and chloramphenicol (CAP), were determined using square wave voltammetry (SWV) mode that yields the lower limit of detection at 2.5 µM for both drugs. Measurement accuracy and repeatability were verified by 36 known drug combination concentrations. Capability in long-term measurement was confirmed by the measurement stability which was found to last for at least 72 h. Stirring was revealed as one of the significant factors for accurate real-time detection. Real-time measurement was ultimately performed to demonstrate the determination of multiple drug releases from a drug releasing hydrogel and validated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). All the results support that the electrochemical technique with the proposed device design and setup can be used to accurately and simultaneously determine dual drugs that are released from a hydrogel in real-time.

Recent advances on biomedical applications of gellan gum: A review

Gellan gum (GG) has attracted considerable attention as a versatile biopolymer with numerous potential biological applications, especially in the fields of tissue engineering, wound healing, and cargo delivery. Due to its distinctive characteristics like biocompatibility, biodegradability, nontoxicity, and gel-forming ability, GG is well-suited for these applications. This review focuses on recent research on GG-based hydrogels and biocomposites and their biomedical applications. It discusses the incorporation of GG into hydrogels for controlled drug release, its role in promoting wound healing processes, and its potential in tissue engineering for various tissues including bone, retina, cartilage, vascular, adipose, and cardiac tissue. It provides an in-depth analysis of the latest findings and advancements in these areas, making it a valuable resource for researchers and professionals in these fields.

Antimicrobial Hydrogels: Potential Materials for Medical Application

Microbial infections based on drug-resistant pathogenic organisms following surgery or trauma and uncontrolled bleeding are the main causes of increased mortality from trauma worldwide. The prevalence of drug-resistant pathogens has led to a significant increase in medical costs and poses a great threat to the normal life of people. This is an important issue in the field of biomedicine, and the emergence of new antimicrobial materials hydrogels holds great promise for solving this problem. Hydrogel is an important material with good biocompatibility, water absorption, oxygen permeability, adhesion, degradation, self-healing, corrosion resistance, and controlled release of drugs as well as structural diversity. Bacteria-disturbing hydrogels have important applications in the direction of surgical treatment, wound dressing, medical device coating, and tissue engineering. This paper reviews the classification of antimicrobial hydrogels, the current status of research, and the potential of antimicrobial hydrogels for one application in biomedicine, and analyzes the current research of hydrogels in biomedical applications from five aspects: metal-loaded hydrogels, drug-loaded hydrogels, carbon-material-loaded hydrogels, hydrogels with fixed antimicrobial activity and biological antimicrobial hydrogels, and provides an outlook on the high antimicrobial activity, biodegradability, biocompatibility, injectability, clinical applicability and future development prospects of hydrogels in this field.

Diversity of Bioinspired Hydrogels: From Structure to Applications

Hydrogels are three-dimensional networks with a variety of structures and functions that have a remarkable ability to absorb huge amounts of water or biological fluids. They can incorporate active compounds and release them in a controlled manner. Hydrogels can also be designed to be sensitive to external stimuli: temperature, pH, ionic strength, electrical or magnetic stimuli, specific molecules, etc. Alternative methods for the development of various hydrogels have been outlined in the literature over time. Some hydrogels are toxic and therefore are avoided when obtaining biomaterials, pharmaceuticals, or therapeutic products. Nature is a permanent source of inspiration for new structures and new functionalities of more and more competitive materials. Natural compounds present a series of physico-chemical and biological characteristics suitable for biomaterials, such as biocompatibility, antimicrobial properties, biodegradability, and nontoxicity. Thus, they can generate microenvironments comparable to the intracellular or extracellular matrices in the human body. This paper discusses the main advantages of the presence of biomolecules (polysaccharides, proteins, and polypeptides) in hydrogels. Structural aspects induced by natural compounds and their specific properties are emphasized. The most suitable applications will be highlighted, including drug delivery, self-healing materials for regenerative medicine, cell culture, wound dressings, 3D bioprinting, foods, etc.