Self-assembled supermolecular hydrogel based on hydroxyethyl cellulose: Formation, in vitro release and bacteriostasis application

Abstract

Self-assembly of cellulose-based hydrogel is a new supermolecular architecture with potential for biomedical applications. In this study, a novel cellulose-based, supermolecular self-assembled hydrogel (gel-(β)CDP-HEC) was studied, which was based on the host-guest interaction between hydrophobic lauryl side chains grafting on hydroxyethyl cellulose (HECC₁₂) and the cavities in poly(β-cyclodextrin) (β-CDP). The critical concentrations of HECC₁₂ and β-CDP should be both fixed at 30mgmL^-1 by the results of dynamic viscosity, rheological property and swelling ratio. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), ¹HNuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹H NMR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) studies were used to characterize the synthesized samples. Furthermore, the encapsulation capacity of gel-(β)CDP-HEC was determined as 21.89wt% by phenolphthalein probe method. The loading and in vitro release of Eugenol (EG) were investigated. Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) was used to characterize the thermal stability of the EG-loaded gel-(β)CDP-HEC (gel-(β)CDP-HEC/EG). The bacteriostasis characteristics against Escherichia coli had been proved by agar cup-plate diffusion method. The results demonstrated that gel-(β)CDP-HEC had a potential advantage as efficient bacteriostasis materials for biomedical applications.

Keywords: Cyclodextrins; Eugenol; Hydroxyethyl cellulose; Self-assembled hydrogels.