Preparation and in vitro evaluation of biological agents based on Zinc-laponite- curcumin incorporated in alginate hydrogel

Abstract

Due to their outstanding structures and properties, three-dimensional (3D) hydrogels and nanoparticles have been widely studied and indicated a very high potential for medical, therapeutic, and diagnostic applications. However, hydrogels and nanoparticles systems have particular drawbacks that limit their widespread applications. In recent years, the incorporation of nanostructured systems into hydrogel has been developed as a novel way for the formation of new biomaterials with various functions to solve biomedical challenges. In this study, alginate-loaded Zinc- laponite-curcumin (Zn/La/Cur) nanocomposites were fabricated via ionic cross-linking. The prepared nanocomposite hydrogels were characterized via FTIR and FE-SEM. Moreover, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) was used to study the elements of the Zn/La/Cur nanocomposite. The NIH3T3 fibroblast cell line was utilized for the MTT assay to determine the cell viability of the fabricated alginate-loaded Zn/La/Cur nanocomposites. MTT results demonstrated that there was no evidence of toxicity in the samples. These outcomes suggest that applying Al/Zn/La/Cur nanocomposite as a biological agent could be a novel tissue engineering strategy for treating soft tissue disorders.

Keywords: Alginate; Hydrogel; Laponite; Nanoparticulate systems.

Fig. 1

A schematic for hydrogel preparation using the chemical structure of alginate. The crosslinking reaction and interaction with the Zinc- laponite – curcumin

Fig. 2

FT-IR spectra of pure Al, La, Zn acetate, Curcumin, and Al/Zn/La/Cur hydrogel

Fig. 3

Particle size distribution from the dynamic light scattering (DLS) of Laponite and Zn/La/Cur nanocomposite

Fig. 4

A FE-SEM images of Laponite and Zn/La/Cur nanocomposites. B Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy of Zn/La/Cur nanocomposite

Fig. 5

Rheological properties of the hydrogels. A Steady shear viscosity measurements of SA with and without La/Zn-CUR. B Gelation time

Fig. 6

Cellular studies. A FE-SEM images of the cell attachment on the nanocomposites after 7 day. B In vitro biocompatibility of NIH3T3 fibroblast cell line on the nanocomposites over 7 day using MTT assay

Fig. 7

Cellular studies. FE-SEM micrographs of seeded fibroblasts on nanocomposites after 7 days of culture (scale bar: 50 µm)