Antimicrobial Modified-Tragacanth Gum/Acrylic Acid Hydrogels for the Controlled Release of Quercetin

In this study, new antimicrobial hydrogels were prepared via reaction of functionalized-tragacanth gum (TG) biopolymer by quaternary ammonium functionalization of TG (QTG) with acrylic acid (AA). Characterization of the QTG hydrogels (QTG-AA) was carried out by FTIR, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and 1H NMR. Dynamic mechanical analysis, (DMA) was conducted to characterize the mechanical behavior of hydrogels. Swelling behavior of the QTG hydrogels exhibited dependence on the pH, immersion time, medium, and temperature. Loading and in-vitro drug release from the final hydrogels were studied by using quercetin as a model drug. The results exhibited the pH-sensitivity of the hydrogels for drug delivery. The antimicrobial effect of the prepared hydrogels was investigated against some standard microorganisms and the results demonstrated that the hydrogels possess good antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria as well as a fungus.