Interpenetrating networks of bacterial cellulose and poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate as potential cephalexin carriers in wound therapy

In this work, hybrid hydrogels based on bacterial cellulose (BC) and poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) were synthesized by a radical polymerization reaction using a redox initiator system. The proposed interpenetrating networks (IPNs) were intended for developing a controlled release micro-vesicular system for wound therapy, through micro-colloidal architectures of hydrogels based on bacterial cellulose. Therefore, the hybrid hydrogels were first characterized to determine the influence of the BC concentration on the swelling degree and their mechanical stability. Further on, infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were implemented to investigate their structure, composition, thermal stability, and morphology. The controlled release assay of cephalexin (CEX) was performed in buffer solution at pH 7.4 and 37 °C using CEX-loaded hydrogels and the release profiles were deciphered with the aid of UV–Visible spectroscopy. Cytotoxicity tests performed on simple and CEX-loaded samples indicated that the BC-PEGDA hydrogels containing the drug of interest were relatively non-toxic when exposed to murine fibroblasts, representing thus a potential candidate for materials used for wound treatment.