A simple method for the simultaneous encapsulation of ciprofloxacin into PEGDA/alginate hydrogels using gamma irradiation

Herein, we present a simple simultaneous method for the fabrication of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate/alginate (PEGDA/ALG) hydrogels as three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds for ciprofloxacin (CIP) encapsulation using gamma-irradiation at an irradiation dose of 15 kGy. The absorption capacity of the hydrogels studies demonstrated that the PEGDA/ALG hydrogels showed a small absorption capacity at an acidic pH (pH = 2) and a high absorption capacity at a basic pH (pH = 10). The morphology and functional groups of the PEGDA/ALG hydrogels were successfully determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), respectively. SEM images observed a decrease in the pore size of the hydrogels with increasing alginate concentration, indicating successful alginate incorporation. FT-IR spectra of the hydrogels indicated that the PEGDA and alginate were crosslinked. The antimicrobial experiment showed that all the PEGDA/ALG hydrogels possessed good antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli). These results demonstrate the practicality and efficacy of gamma-irradiation as a one-step method for the simultaneous fabrication of PEGDA/ALG hydrogels and encapsulation of CIP without compromising the bioactivity of the encapsulated CIP.