Self-assembled supermolecular hydrogel based on hydroxyethyl cellulose: Formation, in vitro release and bacteriostasis application

Self-assembly of cellulose-based hydrogel is a new supermolecular architecture with potential for biomedical applications. In this study, a novel cellulose-based, supermolecular self-assembled hydrogel (gel-(β)CDP-HEC) was studied, which was based on the host-guest interaction between hydrophobic lauryl side chains grafting on hydroxyethyl cellulose (HECC12) and the cavities in poly(β-cyclodextrin) (β-CDP). The critical concentrations of HECC12 and β-CDP should be both fixed at 30 mg mL−1 by the results of dynamic viscosity, rheological property and swelling ratio. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), 1HNuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H NMR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) studies were used to characterize the synthesized samples. Furthermore, the encapsulation capacity of gel-(β)CDP-HEC was determined as 21.89 wt% by phenolphthalein probe method. The loading and in vitro release of Eugenol (EG) were investigated. Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) was used to characterize the thermal stability of the EG-loaded gel-(β)CDP-HEC (gel-(β)CDP-HEC/EG). The bacteriostasis characteristics against Escherichia coli had been proved by agar cup-plate diffusion method. The results demonstrated that gel-(β)CDP-HEC had a potential advantage as efficient bacteriostasis materials for biomedical applications.