Synthesis and Application of Silica-Coated Quantum Dots in Biomedicine.

Quantum dots (QDs) are semiconductor nanoparticles with outstanding optoelectronic properties. More specifically, QDs are highly bright and exhibit wide absorption spectra, narrow light bands, and excellent photovoltaic stability, which make them useful in bioscience and medicine, particularly for sensing, optical imaging, cell separation, and diagnosis. In general, QDs are stabilized using a hydrophobic ligand during synthesis, and thus their hydrophobic surfaces must undergo hydrophilic modification if the QDs are to be used in bioapplications. Silica-coating is one of the most effective methods for overcoming the disadvantages of QDs, owing to silica's physicochemical stability, nontoxicity, and excellent bioavailability. This review highlights recent progress in the design, preparation, and application of silica-coated QDs and presents an overview of the major challenges and prospects of their application.

Inclusion complexes of cysteinyl ß-cyclodextrin with baicalein restore collagen synthesis in fibroblast cells following ultraviolet exposure.

Baicalein, a bioactive flavonoid, has poor water solubility, thereby limiting its use in a wide range of biological applications. In the present study, we used inclusion complexes of cysteinyl ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) with baicalein to enhance the stability and solubility of baicalein in aqueous solution. We examined the effects of inclusion complexes of cysteinyl ß-CD on collagen synthesis following ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, as well as the mechanisms underlying its effects. Our findings demonstrated that baicalein significantly restored collagen synthesis in the UV-exposed human fibroblast Hs68 cells. In addition, synthetic cysteine functionalized ß-CDs were found to promote baicalein-induced collagen synthesis. Inclusion complexes of cysteinyl ß-CDs with baicalein significantly upregulated the protein expression of type I collagen and activated the transcription of type I, II, and III collagen. Inclusion complexes of cysteinyl ß-CDs with baicalein also downregulated matrix metalloproteinase -1 and -3, and α-smooth muscle actin expression. In addition, inclusion complexes of cysteinyl ß-CDs with baicalein attenuated the expression of caveolin-1, but this treatment enhanced the UV-induced phosphorylation of Smad in the transforming growth factor-ß pathway. These results suggested that the newly synthesized derivative of CD can be used as a complexing agent to enhance the bioavailability of flavonoids such as baicalein, especially in restoring collagen synthesis.

Biotinylated Cyclooligosaccharides for Paclitaxel Solubilization.

The poor water solubility of paclitaxel causes significant problems in producing cancer therapeutic formulations. Here, we aimed to solubilize paclitaxel using biocompatible cyclic carbohydrates. Generally recognized as safe, labeled ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD), a cyclic α-1,4-glucan consisting of seven glucoses, was prepared, and bio-sourced cyclosophoraoses (CyS), which are unbranched cyclic ß-1,2-glucans with 17-23 glucose units, were purified using various chromatographic methods from Rhizobium leguminosarum cultural broth. For effective targeting, CyS and ß-CD were modified with a biotinyl moiety in a reaction of mono-6-amino CyS and mono-6-amino-ß-CD with N-hydroxysuccinimide ester of biotinamidohexanoic acid. Interestingly, the aqueous solubility of paclitaxel was enhanced 10.3- and 3.7-fold in the presence of biotinyl CyS and biotinyl ß-CD, respectively. These findings suggest that biotin-appended cyclooligosaccharides can be applied to improve the delivery of paclitaxel.

Biomolecule-Functionalized Smart Polydiacetylene for Biomedical and Environmental Sensing.

Polydiacetylene (PDA) has attracted interest for use as a sensing platform in biomedical, environmental, and chemical engineering applications owing to its capacity for colorimetric and fluorescent transition in response to external stimuli. Many researchers have attempted to develop a tailor-made PDA sensor via conjugation of chemical or biological substances to PDA. Here, we review smart bio-conjugates of PDA with various biomolecules such as carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins. In addition, materialization and signal amplification strategies to improve handling and sensitivity are described.

Carbohydrate-Based Host-Guest Complexation of Hydrophobic Antibiotics for the Enhancement of Antibacterial Activity.

Host-guest complexation with various hydrophobic drugs has been used to enhance the solubility, permeability, and stability of guest drugs. Physical changes in hydrophobic drugs by complexation have been related to corresponding increases in the bioavailability of these drugs. Carbohydrates, including various derivatives of cyclodextrins, cyclosophoraoses, and some linear oligosaccharides, are generally used as host complexation agents in drug delivery systems. Many antibiotics with low bioavailability have some limitations to their clinical use due to their intrinsically poor aqueous solubility. Bioavailability enhancement is therefore an important step to achieve the desired concentration of antibiotics in the treatment of bacterial infections. Antibiotics encapsulated in a complexation-based drug delivery system will display improved antibacterial activity making it possible to reduce dosages and overcome the serious global problem of antibiotic resistance. Here, we review the present research trends in carbohydrate-based host-guest complexation of various hydrophobic antibiotics as an efficient delivery system to improve solubility, permeability, stability, and controlled release.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Retinol Stabilization of Fatty Amide-ß-cyclodextrin Conjugates.

Amphiphilic cyclodextrin (CD) has been the object of growing scientific attention because of its two recognition sites, the cavity and the apolar heart, formed by self-assembly. In the present study, mono[6-deoxy-6-(octadecanamido)]-ß-CD and mono[6-deoxy-6-(octadecenamido)]-ß-CD were successfully synthesized by reacting mono-6-amino-6-deoxy-ß-CD with N-hydroxysuccinimide esters of corresponding fatty acids in DMF. The structures were analyzed using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The amphiphilic ß-CDs were able to form self-assembled nano-vesicles in water, and the supramolecular architectures were characterized using fluorescence spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy. Using the cavity-type nano-vesicles, all-trans-retinol was efficiently encapsulated; it was then stabilized against the photo-degradation. Therefore, the present fatty amide-ß-CD conjugate will be a potential molecule for carrier systems in cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications.

Characterization and Enhanced Antioxidant Activity of the Cysteinyl ß-Cyclodextrin-Baicalein Inclusion Complex.

Baicalein is a type of flavonoid isolated from the roots of a medicinal plant, Scutellaria baicalensis. Although it has attracted considerable attention due to its antiviral, anti-tumor, and anti-inflammatory activities, its limited aqueous solubility inhibits the clinical application of this flavonoid. The present study aimed to prepare and characterize a host-guest complex in an effort to improve the solubility and antioxidant activity of baicalein. The host molecule is a macrocyclic ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) functionalized with cysteine for a synergetic effect. The structure of the synthesized cysteinyl ß-CD was analyzed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The inclusion complex with baicalein was studied by UV-vis, NMR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray powder diffractometry. The formed cysteinyl ß-CD/baicalein inclusion complex efficiently improved the solubility and antioxidant ability of baicalein. Therefore, we suggest that the present cysteinyl ß-CD is a potential host molecule for inclusion complexation and for bioavailability augmentation.

Robust polydiacetylene-based colorimetric sensing material developed with amyloid fibrils of α-synuclein.

Robust polydiacetylene-based colorimetric sensing material has been developed with amyloid fibrils of α-synuclein in the presence of 10,12-pentacosadiynoic acid (PCDA) by taking advantage of the specific fatty acid interaction of α-synuclein and structural regularity of the self-assembled product of amyloid fibrils. PCDA facilitated not only self-oligomerization of α-synuclein but also its fibrillation into the fibrils with increased thickness. Upon UV irradiation, the PCDA-containing amyloid fibrils (AF-PCDAs) turned blue, which then became red following heat treatment. The blue-to-red color transition was also observed with other stimuli of pH and ethanol. AF-PCDAs were demonstrated to be mechanically stable since not only the individual colors of blue and red but also their colorimetric transition were not affected by a number of sonications which readily disrupted the polydiaceylene (PDA) vesicles with the instant loss of color. Therefore, AF-PCDA can be considered to be a novel PDA-based colorimetric sensing material with high mechanical strength, which has the potential to be employed in various areas involving advanced sensing technologies.

Supramolecular Complexation of Carbohydrates for the Bioavailability Enhancement of Poorly Soluble Drugs.

In this review, a comprehensive overview of advances in the supramolecular complexes of carbohydrates and poorly soluble drugs is presented. Through the complexation process, poorly soluble drugs could be efficiently delivered to their desired destinations. Carbohydrates, the most abundant biomolecules, have diverse physicochemical properties owing to their inherent three-dimensional structures, hydrogen bonding, and molecular recognition abilities. In this regard, oligosaccharides and their derivatives have been utilized for the bioavailability enhancement of hydrophobic drugs via increasing the solubility or stability. By extension, polysaccharides and their derivatives can form self-assembled architectures with poorly soluble drugs and have shown increased bioavailability in terms of the sustained or controlled drug release. These supramolecular systems using carbohydrate will be developed consistently in the field of pharmaceutical and medical application.

Pentynyl dextran as a support matrix for immobilization of serine protease subtilisin Carlsberg and its use for transesterification of N-acetyl-L-phenylalanine ethyl ester in organic media.

In this study, serine protease (subtilisin Carlsberg) was immobilized on pentynyl dextran (PyD, O-alkynyl ether of dextran, 1) and used for the transesterification of N-acetyl-L-phenylalanine ethyl ester (2) with different aliphatic (1-propanol, 1-butanol, 1-pentanol, 1-hexanol) and aromatic (benzyl alcohol, 2-phenyl ethanol, 4-phenyl-1-butanol) alcohols in tetrahydrofuran (THF). The effect of carbon chain length in aliphatic and aromatic alcohols on initial and average transesterification rate, transesterification activity of immobilized enzyme and yield of the reaction under selected reaction conditions was investigated. The transesterification reactivity of the enzyme and yield of the reaction increased as the chain length of the alcohols decreased. Furthermore, almost no change in yield was observed when the immobilized enzyme was repeatedly used for selected alcohols over six cycles. Intrinsic fluorescence analysis showed that the catalytic activity of the immobilized enzyme in THF was maintained due to retention of the tertiary structure of the enzyme after immobilization on PyD (1).

Structural, rheological properties and antioxidant activities analysis of the exopolysaccharide produced by Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae VF39.

Microbial exopolysaccharide is an eco-friendly and non-toxic biopolymeric materials widely used in various industrial fields such as pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics based on its structural, rheological and physiochemical properties. A microbial exopolysaccharide (VF39-EPS) was directly isolated from Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae VF39. Structural analysis using FTIR and 2D NMR spectroscopy confirmed the complete chemical structures of VF39-EPS as 3-hydroxybutanoylglycan with octasaccharide repeating units containing two pyruvyl, two acetyl, and one 3-hydroxybutanoyl group. VF39-EPS exhibited thermal stability up to 275 °C and showed characteristic rheological behaviors of structural fluid with weak gel-like properties above 4 % the aqueous solution, suggesting VF39-EPS as a potential effective thickener or hydrogel scaffolder. Flow behavior tests validated broad stability at a wide range of both pHs from 2 to 12 and temperatures from 25 to 75 °C, and even in the presence of various salts. Furthermore, VF39-EPS showed excellent antioxidant effects of 78.5 and 62.4 % (n = 3, p < 0.001) in DPPH scavenging activity and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, respectively. Therefore, those structural, rheological and antioxidant properties suggest that VF39-EPS could be one of the excellent biomaterial candidates for cosmetic, food and pharmaceutical industries based on its characteristic rheological behaviors in various condition and excellent antioxidant activity.

Physicochemical and Rheological Properties of Succinoglycan Overproduced by Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021 Mutant.

Commercial bacterial exopolysaccharide (EPS) applications have been gaining interest; therefore, strains that provide higher yields are required for industrial-scale processes. Succinoglycan (SG) is a type of bacterial anionic exopolysaccharide produced by Rhizobium, Agrobacterium, and other soil bacterial species. SG has been widely used as a pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food additive based on its properties as a thickener, texture enhancer, emulsifier, stabilizer, and gelling agent. An SG-overproducing mutant strain (SMC1) was developed from Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021 through N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (NTG) mutation, and the physicochemical and rheological properties of SMC1-SG were analyzed. SMC1 produced (22.3 g/L) 3.65-fold more SG than did the wild type. Succinoglycan (SMC1-SG) overproduced by SMC1 was structurally characterized by FT-IR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The molecular weights of SG and SMC1-SG were 4.20 × 105 and 4.80 × 105 Da, respectively, as determined by GPC. Based on DSC and TGA, SMC1-SG exhibited a higher endothermic peak (90.9 °C) than that of SG (77.2 °C). Storage modulus (G') and loss modulus (G″) measurements during heating and cooling showed that SMC1-SG had improved thermal behavior compared to that of SG, with intersections at 74.9 °C and 72.0 °C, respectively. The SMC1-SG's viscosity reduction pattern was maintained even at high temperatures (65 °C). Gelation by metal cations was observed in Fe3+ and Cr3+ solutions for both SG and SMC1-SG. Antibacterial activities of SG and SMC1-SG against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were also observed. Therefore, like SG, SMC1-SG may be a potential biomaterial for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries.

Drug delivery using reduction-responsive hydrogel based on carboxyethyl-succinoglycan with highly improved rheological, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties.

The development of exopolysaccharide-based polymers is gaining increasing attention in various industrial biotechnology fields for materials such as thickeners, texture modifiers, anti-freeze agents, antioxidants, and antibacterial agents. High-viscosity carboxyethyl-succinoglycan (CE-SG) was directly synthesized from succinoglycan (SG) isolated from Sinorhizobium meliloti Rm 1021, and its structural, rheological, and physiological properties were investigated. The viscosity of CE-SG gradually increased in proportion to the degree of carboxyethylation substitution. In particular, when the molar ratio of SG and 3-chloropropionic acid was 1:100, the viscosity was significantly improved by 21.18 times at a shear rate of 10 s-1. Increased carboxyethylation of SG also improved the thermal stability of CE-SG. Furthermore, the CE-SG solution showed 90.18 and 91.78 % antibacterial effects against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus and effective antioxidant activity against DPPH and hydroxyl radicals. In particular, CE-SG hydrogels coordinated with Fe3+ ions, which improved both viscosity and rheological properties, while also exhibiting reduction-responsive drug release through 1,4-dithiothreitol. The results of this study suggest that SG derivatives, such as CE-SG, can be used as functional biomaterials in various fields such as food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries.

Rhizobial oxidized 3-hydroxylbutanoyl glycan-based gelatin hydrogels with enhanced physiochemical properties for pH-responsive drug delivery.

Rhizobial exopolysaccharide (EPS) is an acidic polysaccharide involved in nitrogen fixation-related signal transduction in the rhizosphere, serving as a structural support for biofilms, and protecting against various external environmental stresses. Rhizobial EPS as a hydrogel biomaterial was used for a pH-responsive drug delivery system combing with gelatins. Pure gelatin (GA) hydrogels have limited practical applications due to their poor mechanical strength and poor thermal stability. We developed new GA hydrogels using oxidized 3-hydroxylbutanoyl glycan (OHbG) as a polymer cross-linking agent to overcome these limitations. OHbG was synthesized from sodium periodate oxidation of 3-hydroxylbutanoyl glycan directly isolated from Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae VF39. The newly fabricated OHbG/GA hydrogels exhibited 21-fold higher compressive stress and 4.7-fold higher storage modulus (G') than GA at the same strain. This result suggested that OHbG provided mechanical improvement. In addition, these OHbG/GA hydrogels showed effective pH-controlled drug release for 5-fluorouracil, self-healable, and self-antioxidant capacity by uronic acids of OHbG. Cell viability tests using HEK-293 cells in vitro also showed that the OHbG/GA hydrogels were non-toxic. This suggests that the new OHbG/GA hydrogels can be used as a potentially novel biomaterial for drug delivery based on its self-healing ability, antioxidant capacity, and pH-responsive drug delivery.

Ferrous iron chelating property of low-molecular weight succinoglycans isolated from Sinorhizobium meliloti.

Iron is an essential nutrient for nitrogen-fixing legume root nodules, and the chelation of ferrous iron plays an important role in the mobility and availability of iron to the legume. In the present study, we investigated the iron-binding properties of low-molecular weight succinoglycans isolated from the nitrogen-fixing bacterium, Sinorhizobium meliloti. The low-molecular weight succinoglycans comprising three monomers (M1-M3), four dimers (D1-D4), and six trimers (T1-T6) of the succinoglycan repeating unit were purified by various chromatographic techniques. Interestingly, the colorimetric ferrozine method showed that the succinoglycans T6, M3, and D3 demonstrated a ferrous iron chelating ability of 83, 63, and 38 % per mg, respectively. The individual binding constants were determined as 43703, 2313, and 760 M(-1) for succinoglycans T6, M3, and D3 using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The complexation of succinoglycan and ferrous iron can cause structural changes, which were analyzed by circular dichroism spectroscopy. Furthermore, the complex could provide antioxidant activity through an anti-Fenton reaction. These results demonstrate that the low-molecular weight succinoglycans can effectively modulate iron biochemistry as a novel ferrous iron-acquisition system of S. meliloti.

The putative guanine nucleotide exchange factor RicA mediates upstream signaling for growth and development in Aspergillus.

Heterotrimeric G proteins (G proteins) govern growth, development, and secondary metabolism in various fungi. Here, we characterized ricA, which encodes a putative GDP/GTP exchange factor for G proteins in the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans and the opportunistic human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. In both species, ricA mRNA accumulates during vegetative growth and early developmental phases, but it is not present in spores. The deletion of ricA results in severely impaired colony growth and the total (for A. nidulans) or near (for A. fumigatus) absence of asexual sporulation (conidiation). The overexpression (OE) of the A. fumigatus ricA gene (AfricA) restores growth and conidiation in the ΔAnricA mutant to some extent, indicating partial conservation of RicA function in Aspergillus. A series of double mutant analyses revealed that the removal of RgsA (an RGS protein of the GanB Gα subunit), but not sfgA, flbA, rgsB, or rgsC, restored vegetative growth and conidiation in ΔAnricA. Furthermore, we found that RicA can physically interact with GanB in yeast and in vitro. Moreover, the presence of two copies or OE of pkaA suppresses the profound defects caused by ΔAnricA, indicating that RicA-mediated growth and developmental signaling is primarily through GanB and PkaA in A. nidulans. Despite the lack of conidiation, brlA and vosA mRNAs accumulated to normal levels in the ΔricA mutant. In addition, mutants overexpressing fluG or brlA (OEfluG or OEbrlA) failed to restore development in the ΔAnricA mutant. These findings suggest that the commencement of asexual development requires unknown RicA-mediated signaling input in A. nidulans.

Cholesterol reduction from milk using ß-cyclodextrin immobilized on glass.

ß-Cyclodextrin (ß-CD) was converted into ß-CD-undecenyl ether by chemical modification and subsequently covalently attached to a glass surface. The functionalized glass surface was characterized by static water contact angle and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Both techniques confirmed that an excellent monolayer of ß-CD was formed on the glass surface. The ß-CD solid surface was used to reduce cholesterol levels in milk. In 4h, 73.6% of the cholesterol was extracted at 25°C with shaking at 170rpm. This is the highest value ever reported for milk using ß-CD immobilized on a solid surface. The same surface was repeatedly used for 10 cycles and maintained its efficiency with 72±2% cholesterol reduction observed in all the cycles. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis completed after 5 and 10 cycles of cholesterol reduction showed that the ß-CD on the glass surface was not degraded. The high efficiency and long-term stability of the functional monolayer was attributed to the specific structure of ß-CD, which is composed of a relatively low number of functional groups and long spacer chain lengths that provide great flexibility.

Novel succinoglycan dialdehyde/aminoethylcarbamoyl-ß-cyclodextrin hydrogels for pH-responsive delivery of hydrophobic drugs.

ß-Cyclodextrin cross-linked succinoglycan dialdehyde hydrogels was prepared for hydrophobic drug delivery. Succinoglycan dialdehyde (SGDA) was synthesized from sodium periodate oxidation of succinoglycan isolated from Sinorhizobium meliloti Rm1021. Aminoethylcarbamoyl-ß-cyclodextrin (ACD) was crosslinked with SGDA to form a succinoglycan dialdehyde/aminoethylcarbamoyl-ß-cyclodextrin (SGDA/ACD) hydrogels. The SGDA/ACD hydrogels exhibited a 65.7 % improvement in storage modulus (G') and a 5.7-fold higher compressive strain than the SGDA/poly(ethylene glycol) diamine (PEG) hydrogels as controls. A hardly soluble drug, baicalein was used for the drug loading and release properties of SGDA/ACD hydrogels. Baicalein was released about 98 % within 48 h at pH 7.4, but not completely released even after 48 h at pH 2.0. In addition, at pH 7.4, only about 56 % of the baicalein loaded on the SGDA/PEG hydrogels was released within 48 h, while about 98 % of the baicalein loaded on the SGDA/ACD hydrogels was released within 48 h. It indicates that ACD significantly improved the solubilization efficacy of the baicalein. In vitro testing of cell viability using HEK-293 cells also showed that the SGDA/ACD hydrogels were suitable for the cells. In conclusion, SGDA/ACD hydrogels significantly enhance the utilization of baicalein and provide potential applications in drug delivery systems for hardly soluble drugs.

New Polyvinyl Alcohol/Succinoglycan-Based Hydrogels for pH-Responsive Drug Delivery.

We fabricated new hydrogels using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and succinoglycan (SG) directly isolated and obtained from Sinorhizobium meliloti Rm 1021 via the freeze-thaw method. Both the composition of the hydrogels and the freeze-thaw cycles were optimized to maximize the swelling ratio for the preparation of the PVA/SG hydrogels. During the optimization process, the morphology and conformational change in the hydrogel were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, rheological measurements, and compressive tests. An optimized hydrogel with a maximum swelling ratio of 17.28 g/g was obtained when the composition of PVA to SG was 50:50 (PVA/SG 50/50) and the total number of freeze-thaw cycles was five. The PVA/SG 50/50 hydrogel had the largest pore with 51.24% porosity and the highest cross-over point (28.17%) between the storage modulus (G') and the loss modulus (G″). The PVA/SG 50/50 hydrogel showed improved thermal stability owing to its interaction with thermally stable SG chains. The improvement in the thermal stability was confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. In addition, the PVA/SG 50/50 hydrogel showed differential drug release according to the corresponding pH under acidic conditions of pH 1.2 and slightly basic conditions of pH 7.4. Furthermore, the cell viability test on the HEK-293 cell line for that hydrogel demonstrated that the PVA/SG 50/50 hydrogel was non-toxic and biocompatible. Therefore, this hydrogel could be a potential scaffold capable of pH-responsive drug delivery for chronic wound dressing applications.

A pH-sensitive drug delivery using biodegradable succinoglycan/chitosan hydrogels with synergistic antibacterial activity.

Since succinoglycan (SG) produced by Sinorhizobium meliloti is an anionic polysaccharide having substituents such as succinate and pyruvate groups, a polyelectrolyte composite hydrogel can be made together with chitosan (CS), a cationic polysaccharide. We fabricated polyelectrolyte SG/CS hydrogels using the semi-dissolving acidified sol-gel transfer (SD-A-SGT) method. The hydrogel showed optimized mechanical strength and thermal stability at an SG:CS weight ratio of 3:1. This optimized SG/CS hydrogel exhibited a high compressive stress of 497.67 kPa at 84.65 % strain and a high tensile strength of 9.14 kPa when stretched to 43.73 %. Additionally, this SG/CS hydrogel showed a pH-controlled drug release pattern for 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), where a change from pH 7.4 to 2.0 increased the release from 60 % to 94 %. In addition, this SG/CS hydrogel not only showed a cell viability of 97.57 %, but also showed synergistic antibacterial activity of 97.75 % and 96.76 % against S. aureus and E. coli, respectively. These results indicate the potential of this hydrogel as a biocompatible and biodegradable hydrogel material for wound healing, tissue engineering, and drug release systems.