Preparation and cytotoxicity of chitosan-based hydrogels modified with silver nanoparticles.

Chitosan based hydrogels are commonly applied in various fields of medicine and pharmacy. Modification of hydrogel polymers using nanosilver particles may result in formation of materials with enhanced antibacterial properties. In this article synthesis of hydrogel materials based on chitosan and modified with silver nanoparticles is presented. First, preparation and characterization of silver nanoparticles using UV-vis spectroscopy has been shown. Hydrogels modified with nanosilver particles were subjected to the measurements of swelling ability and in vitro tests in distilled water and Simulated Body Fluid (SBF), respectively. Additionally, evaluation of antibacterial properties against Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis as well as results of cytotoxicity of hydrogel materials modified with silver nanoparticles conducted by means of XTT and MTT assays using dermis cells BJ (CRL-2522TM) have been presented.