Designing marine-derived carrageenan-based biomimetic functional materials via a green approach for sustainable development: cellular proliferation and mucosal tissue drug delivery applications

The present research aims to explore the potential of marine-derived carrageenan (CG) polysaccharides in developing bioactive materials via a green approach for sustainable development, thereby promoting the well-being of society and mitigating human health issues. The health issues prevailing among women, especially those related to female reproductive system, pose a significant challenge globally. Hence, the proposed research work is based on the development of functional materials for the pharmaceutical evaluation of an antibiotic therapeutic agent. These network hydrogels were fabricated via a copolymeric reaction of PVP and polyacrylamide onto CG. The network hydrogels have unique traits that make them perfect biomaterials for vaginal drug delivery (VDD) and overcome the limitations associated with conventional VDD. The copolymers were characterized by FESEM, EDAX, AFM, FTIR spectroscopy, ¹³C-NMR and XRD techniques. The materials were subjected to multiple performance analyses, including biocompatibility, antioxidation, mucoadhesion, anti-inflammation, protein adsorption, antimicrobial activity, simulated vaginal fluid sorption, drug delivery and cell viability of rhabdomyosarcoma cells to evaluate their biomedical applications. The hydrogels expressed 190% ± 7.07% viability for RD cells and promoted their proliferation, which signified their non-toxic nature to mammalian cells. The hydrogels depicted a 52.40% ± 1.14% scavenging ability against DPPH radicals, which outlined their antioxidant properties. The mucoadhesive performance of the material was expressed by the fact that it required a force of 93 ± 6.11 mN for its separation from the mucosal surface. Additionally, diffusion of the antibiotic agent from the drug-infused hydrogel followed a non-Fickian diffusion mechanism, and the release profile was best interpreted by the Hixson–Crowell kinetic model. The cell viability, non-haemolytic and biomedical properties of the hydrogels emphasize the use of these biomaterials as a sustainable platform for intravaginal drug delivery.