Synthesis of silver nanocomposite semi-interpenetrating polymer network hydrogel based on sodium alginate-g-polyacrylamide for using in Epirubicin anticancer drug release

This study presents the synthesis and characterization of a silver nanocomposite semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) hydrogel using sodium alginate-g-polyacrylamide (Ag@Alg-g-PAAm). The silver nanoparticles were synthesized in the presence of sodium alginate and sunlight. The first network was formed thermally with N, N´-Methylenebisacrylamide as a crosslinker, and the second network was created using calcium chloride for networking of sodium alginate. The resulting Ag@Alg-g-PAAm product was characterized using FT-IR, FE-SEM, EDX, TEM, and TG analysis. In addition, in vitro drug release studies were conducted for Epirubicin, an anticancer drug, at pHs 5.4 and 7.4 at 37 ˚C. The release of Epirubicin from Ag@Alg-g-PAAm was higher at pH 5.4 compared to pH 7.4. These findings align with the swelling behavior of Ag@Alg-g-PAAm, where greater swelling occurred at pH 5.4.