Proceedings of 2025 ASEE-NE Section Conference

Polymer-Hydrogel Drug Delivery System for Biofilm Inhibition and Antibacterial Applications in Surgical Site Infections (SSI)
Anusha Upadhyay, Steve joseph Kuppili, Peiqiao Wu
Abstract

Surgical site infections (SSIs) have been a common postoperative issue throughout history, withthe risk significantly increasing when implants are used. Localized drug delivery systems canreduce the amount of drug needed, prevent side effects in the rest of the body, and deliver thedrug directly to the target area. This study focuses on creating a layered drug delivery systemmade of hydrogel and poly (lactic acid) (PLA) to treat SSIs locally. The outer layer is a sodiumalginate hydrogel loaded with rifampicin, designed to release the antibiotic quickly at the start.The inner layer is an electrospun PLA film containing gentamicin sulfate, which provides acontrolled, slow release of the drug. Various tests, including degradation and swelling analysis,drug release studies, and antimicrobial tests using the disc diffusion method, were performed toevaluate the system. The results showed that the film began breaking down during the swellingphase, supporting the expected drug release pattern. It also successfully prevented bacterialgrowth, as seen through the zones of inhibition it created. These findings suggest that this drugdelivery system has strong potential for further testing and development, aiming to improvetreatment outcomes for patients suffering from SSIs.


Last modified: 2025-02-06

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