Sidiq Saima, Ahanger Firdaus Ahmad, Nazir Nighat, Shaheen Arjumund, Tak Umar Nabi, Manhas Ayaz Ahmad, Dar Aijaz Ahmad
Soft Matter Research Group, Physical Chemistry Section, Department of Chemistry, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar 190006, J&K, India.
Department of Chemistry, Islamia College of Science and Commerce, Hawal, Srinagar 190002, J&K, India.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 May;306(Pt 2):141523. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.141523. Epub 2025 Feb 26.
Chitosan (CS)-based hydrogels are promising platforms for drug delivery owing to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and functional versatility. However, pure CS Schiff base hydrogels lack mechanical strength and rely on toxic cross-linkers, necessitating bio-safe alternatives viz. Cinnamaldehyde (CA). In this study, hybrid Chitosan-Cinnamaldehyde (CSCA) and Chitosan-Cinnamaldehyde-γ-Cyclodextrin (CSCDCA) hydrogels were synthesized to address the limitations. Encapsulation of CA into γ-Cyclodextrin (γ-CD) enhanced the stability of CA through the formation of an inclusion complex (IC), as confirmed by NMR analysis. CSCDCA hydrogels although relatively weaker, exhibited superior swelling/water retention capability over CSCA hydrogels. The release behavior of Rifampicin (Rif) a model hydrophobic drug, was monitored in both hydrogels. CSCDCA hydrogel showed more controlled release (∼56 % at pH 2 and 39 % at pH 7.4 over 30 h) compared to CSCA (∼70 % at pH 2 and 36 % at pH 7.4). Kinetic analysis indicated combined diffusion and relaxation mechanism of release. Antibacterial and antioxidant (AOX) activities confirmed significant activity, with CSCDCA achieving 95 % cell viability against human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cells. These findings underscore the hydrogel's suitability as pH-sensitive drug delivery system (DDS), enhancing Rif's bioavailability, minimizing side effects, and establishing a benchmark for eco-friendly hydrogels in therapeutic applications.
基于壳聚糖（CS）的水凝胶因其生物相容性、生物降解性和功能多样性，是很有前景的药物递送平台。然而，纯CS席夫碱水凝胶缺乏机械强度且依赖有毒交联剂，因此需要生物安全的替代物，即肉桂醛（CA）。在本研究中，合成了壳聚糖 - 肉桂醛（CSCA）和壳聚糖 - 肉桂醛 - γ - 环糊精（CSCDCA）杂化水凝胶以解决这些局限性。通过核磁共振分析证实，将CA包封到γ - 环糊精（γ - CD）中可通过形成包合物（IC）提高CA的稳定性。CSCDCA水凝胶虽然相对较弱，但与CSCA水凝胶相比，具有优异的溶胀/保水能力。在两种水凝胶中监测了模型疏水药物利福平（Rif）的释放行为。与CSCA（在pH 2时约70%，在pH 7.4时约36%）相比，CSCDCA水凝胶显示出更可控的释放（在pH 2时约56%，在pH 7.4时30小时内约39%）。动力学分析表明释放的机制是扩散和松弛的组合。抗菌和抗氧化（AOX）活性证实了显著活性，CSCDCA对人胚肾（HEK - 293）细胞的细胞活力达到95%。这些发现强调了该水凝胶作为pH敏感药物递送系统（DDS）的适用性，提高了Rif的生物利用度，使副作用最小化，并为治疗应用中的环保水凝胶建立了基准。
