Dual use of poly(3-sulfopropyl acrylate)/pectin hydrogels functionalized with silver and quantum dots for antibacterial wound care and sustained doxorubicin delivery

In this study, poly(3-sulfopropyl acrylate)/pectin hydrogels were synthesized by redox polymerization and their usability was demonstrated for two different applications. Silver nanoparticles used for the modification of the hydrogels were obtained by in-situ green synthesis in a hydrogel matrix using avocado pit extract and their antibacterial properties were investigated. In addition, hydrogels modified with quantum dots were used for the release of doxorubicin, a cancer drug. The synthesized hydrogels and composites were characterized by TEM, SEM, XRD, FT-IR, TGA and swelling tests. The p(SPA)/pectin@Ag hydrogel modified with silver nanoparticles showed strong antibacterial activity after cefazolin loading and achieved 91.6% cumulative drug release in approximately 300 h, conforming to Weibull kinetics. The p(SPA)/pectin@QD hydrogel composites modified with cadmium sulfide quantum dots exhibited high doxorubicin loading capacity and a pH-sensitive stable release profile, reaching 81.2% cumulative drug release in approximately 300 h. This behavior, which fits the Korsmeyer–Peppas model, demonstrates the suitability of the hydrogel composites for controlled chemotherapeutic drug delivery. In addition, cytotoxicity assay was performed on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells, and the cytotoxic effects of 10 and 5 µg/mL doses were found to be 23.0 ± 2.6% and 42.3 ± 2.37%.