LAUSR

Abstract This work is focused on the preparation of novel thermally-sensitive nano ZnO imprinted poly (N-isopropylacrylamide)/polyethylene glycol-dextran (PNIPAM/PEG-D@ZnO) nanocomposite hybrid hydrogels via in situ technique for the in vitro release of ciprofloxacin antibiotic drug. The formations of nanocomposite hybrid hydrogels are evidenced by FTIR, XRD, FESEM, EDX, XPS, and TGA. The distribution of particles in the nanocomposite hybrid hydrogels is determined from zeta potential measurement. Moreover, swelling behavior, water retention, thermo responsive and mechanical properties are systematically investigated. The gelling strength and gelation time of synthesized materials are noticed from the rheological study. From antibacterial study, it is found that, E. coli(EC) is the most resisting bacteria, while B. cereus (BC) is the least resisting one among all gram positive (B. cereus and L. Inuaba) and gram negative bacteria (E. coli and S. Flexneri). The drugs are allowed to release in aqueous medium through the soaking technique. The drug delivery applications of the nanocomposite hybrid hydrogels are estimated using ciprofloxacin (CFX) as an antibiotic model drug. The maximum drug release rate is 98.2 % in duration of six hours in basic medium. This slow release behavior shows the controlled delivery of drugs by the synthesized vehicle. The nanocomposite hybrid hydrogels are found to be non-toxic from the cytotoxicity investigations, which stands as a clear evidence for their biocompatibility attracting special attentions towards their possible use as drug delivery vehicles. The results indicated that the PNIPAM/PEG-D@ZnO nanocomposite hybrid hydrogels exhibited pH-sensitivity and could be applied efficiently as biodegradable carriers for in vitro release of ciprofloxacin (CFX) model drug.