RESUMO
Two hydrogels of O-carboxymethyl chitosan conjugated with caffeic acid and its composite with polyacrylamide were synthesized using electron beam irradiation. The synthesized hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and mechanical properties studies. The hydrogels were loaded with doxycycline by swelling and its release was investigated in various media. The effect of the dose of electron beam irradiation and PAAm amount on the properties of hydrogels including swelling, drug loading, drug release, mechanical properties, and gel content were studied. The release of doxycycline form hydrogels in different media obeyed the mechanism of non-Fickian diffusion and best fitted to the Higuchi model and Korsmeyer-Peppas. In-vitro doxycycline release consideration indicated that the drug's release from composite hydrogel occurs with higher amounts than the other one. The cytotoxic study confirmed the non-toxicity of the prepared hydrogels dressing. Moreover, the growth inhibition of permissive bacteria against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were observed for doxycycline-loaded hydrogels. So, the synthesized hydrogels are appropriate for practical application as a new antibacterial wound dressing.