Swelling induced mechanically tough starch–agar based hydrogel as a control release drug vehicle for wound dressing applications

In recent years, polysaccharide-based hydrogels have received increased attention due to their inherent biodegradability, biocompatibility, and non-toxicity. The feasibility of using polysaccharides for the synthesis of hydrogels is dependent on their noteworthy mechanical strength and cell compatibility, which are required for practical applications, especially for biomedical uses. In this study, we demonstrate a facile synthetic route for the construction of a mechanically tough, biocompatible, and biodegradable hydrogel using polysaccharides such as starch and agar. A synthetic monomer-free hydrogel was synthesized using epichlorohydrin as a cross-linker, and a mechanical strength of 9.49 ± 1.29-6.16 ± 0.37 MPa was achieved. The introduction of agar into the hydrogel resulted in agar dose-dependent swelling-induced mechanical strength. Moreover, along with incredible mechanical strength, the hydrogel also exhibited prominent cell viability against human embryonic kidney cells. In addition, the hydrogel showed good encapsulation efficiency for antibacterial drugs like ciprofloxacin hydrochloride hydrate, with controlled releasing ability over a sustained period. The antibacterial activity of the encapsulated drug was observed against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis bacterial strains. Thus, the studied hydrogel with loaded drug exhibited all the required qualities to be utilized as a promising candidate in wound dressing applications.