Novel Quaternary ammonium modified-tragacanth gum hydrogels for drug delivery applications with antimicrobial activity and release kinetic study

New antimicrobial hydrogels were prepared via reaction of functionalized-Tragacanth Gum biopolymer by glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (QTG) with acrylamide (AM). Characterization of the QTG hydrogels with AM (QTG-AM) were carried out by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and 1HNMR. Swelling behavior of the QTG hydrogels were investigated on the pH, medium, and temperature, immersion time. Loading and in-vitro drug release from the final hydrogels were studied by using quercetin as a model drug. Five type of kinetic models were applied, and the release of drug from the drug-loaded hydrogels occurred through non-Fickian diffusion mechanism. The water uptake by hydrogels decreased in 0.9% NaCl solution and increased in pH 9.2. The antimicrobial effect of the prepared hydrogels QTG-AM was investigated against Candida albicans, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The antimicrobial results demonstrated that the hydrogels possess good antimicrobial activity against the all tested microorganism.