Design and Research of Thermo-Responsive Gelatin-Alginate-Humic Nanocomposite Hydrogels for Controlled Drug Delivery

In this work, thermo-responsive gelatin-alginate-humic nanocomposite hydrogels with physiological melting temperatures were developed. These hydrogels exhibit optimal rheological characteristics suitable for hemostasis and controlled drug delivery, achieved through the combination of gelatin (GN) and sodium alginate (ALG) with humic acids (HANA and HACA) as modifiers. The addition of humic acids enhanced the gel-sol transition temperatures, contributing to their stability and suitability for medical applications. Structural investigation using X-ray diffractometry revealed alterations in nanocrystallinity, while Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed non-covalent interactions between the hydrogel components, affecting the conformational structure. The resulting hydrogels exhibited enhanced mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and controlled transition temperatures suitable for targeted drug delivery and wound healing applications. The study demonstrates that the integration of humic acids into gelatinalginate hydrogels significantly improves their thermoresponsive properties, making them promising candidates for biomedical applications.