Chitosan-based hydrogel incorporating mesoporous silica/zinc oxide nanoparticles with controlled swelling and potent antibacterial activity

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a notable causative agent of bacterial infections known for its development of antibiotic resistance over time. In response, hydrogels augmented with antibacterial nanoparticles (NPs) and controllable swelling properties have emerged as promising alternatives. In the study, a novel chitosan (CS)-based hydrogel was prepared by combining CS as a main component, zinc oxide NPs (ZnO NPs) as an antibacterial agent, and mesoporous silica NPs (MSN) as the swelling control material. Comprehensive characterization of the prepared novel hydrogels were carried out by dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential (ζ-potential), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microcopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The ZnO/MSN/CS-based hydrogel exhibited superior swelling, precisely controllable swelling, and potent antibacterial activity against S. aureus. These hybrid CS-based hydrogels, incorporating both ZnO NPs and MSN, exhibit significant potential as agents for combating antibiotic resistance, offering an alternative strategy to mitigate reliance on conventional antibiotics.