Enhancing biocompatibility and antimicrobial efficacy through plasma technology modification of chitosan/Rosmarinus officinalis hydrogels

Abstract

The study of the modification of hydrogels by plasma technology is of great interest to the scientific community for its potential biomedical applications. This research aims to modify chitosan/Rosmarinus officinalis (R. officinalis) extract hydrogels to help convert it into a hydrogel with potential application as a wound dressing. Different chitosan/R. officinalis hydrogels, modified with plasma at 100, 150, and 200 W, were fabricated. Their biocompatibility properties and antimicrobial effect were evaluated, and they were characterized by Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and evaluated for their degradability, swelling, and extract release. Plasma-modified hydrogels at 200 W obtained superior biocompatibility, presenting cell viability >80% and percentage of hemolysis <2%, for the evaluated concentrations of 1 and 2.5 mg/mL of the material, in turn, they presented greater antimicrobial effect against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli), compared to hydrogels modified at 100 and 150 W. At the same time, a higher percentage of R. officinalis extract release was obtained in the hydrogels with plasma treatment of 200 W, achieving a sustained release for up to 12 days. The hydrogels obtained showed potential for use in the biomedical area.

Keywords: antimicrobial, biocompatibility, chitosan hydrogel, R. officinalis extract, wound dressing.

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