Synthetic and biopolymers-based antimicrobial hybrid hydrogels: a focused review

Abstract

The constantly accelerating occurrence of microbial infections and their antibiotic resistance has spurred advancement in the field of material sciences and has guided the development of novel materials with anti-bacterial properties. To address the clinical exigencies, the material of choice should be biodegradable, biocompatible, and able to offer prolonged antibacterial effects. As an attractive option, hydrogels have been explored globally as a potent biomaterial platform that can furnish essential antibacterial attributes owing to its three-dimensional (3D) hydrophilic polymeric network, adequate biocompatibility, and cellular adhesion. The current review focuses on the utilization of different antimicrobial hydrogels based on their sources (natural and synthetic). Further, the review also highlights the strategies for the generation of hydrogels with their advantages and disadvantages and their applications in different biomedical fields. Finally, the prospects in the development of hydrogels-based antimicrobial biomaterials are discussed along with some key challenges encountered during their development and clinical translation.

Keywords:

• Hydrogels
• biopolymers
• biomaterials
• antimicrobial agents
• biomedical applications

Acknowledgement

Ankur Sood and Sung Soo Han are thankful to National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) (Grant Nos. 2020K1A3A1A19088873, 2020R1A6A1A03044512) for their support. Anand Singh, Janmay Jai Sharma, and Billeswar Mohanta, are thankful to Chandigarh University for their support. Anirudh Sharma is thankful to Jaypee Institute of Information Technology for their support. Authors of this work thank the authors whose research or review articles have been cited in this review article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

No new data were created or analysed in this study.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.