Synthesis and Evaluation of Chitosan-Polyethylene Glycol-based Hydrogel Loaded with Beeswax

This study explored the fabrication of chitosan-polyethylene glycol-beeswax (CS-PEG-BW) as hydrogel dressings. Different formulation settings with varying BW concentrations were prepared to determine the influence of BW into the hydrophilicity, swellability, antibacterial, and hemocompatibility of the CS-PEG-BW network. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis of the samples confirmed the interactions brought by the positively charged CS and electronegative PEG. The emulsion of BW into the CS-PEG network made no significant changes on the hydrogel structure. In terms of the properties, the addition of BW showed improvements in the hydrophilicity, swellability, and antibacterial properties while the hemocompatibility property in terms of %Hemolysis remained almost equal to all the CS-PEG-BW hydrogels. The calculated surface free energy of the CS-PEG-BW showed increased polar groups of the hydrogel as BW concentration increased, leading to the improvement in the ionic sensitivity of the hydrogels during the swelling tests. Lastly, the presence of higher BW concentration showed better antibacterial activity against S. aureus. The resulting CS-PEG-BW hydrogels were found to be non-hemolytic substances that can hold moisture and inhibit bacterial growth. The study shows the potential of CS-PEG-BW hydrogel as wound dressings.