Thymoquinone-Loaded pHEMA Cryogel Membranes for Superior Control of Staphylococcus aureus Infections

This study aims to prepare poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (pHEMA)-based cryogel membranes loaded with different doses of TQ and to investigate their in-silico properties, effects on HDFa fibroblast cells, and impact on Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. The highest binding affinity of TQ against various Staphylococcus aureus proteins (PDB ID: 3U2D, PDB ID: 2W9S, PDB ID: 4H8E, PDB ID: 3VSL, PDB ID: 6U3Y, and PDB ID: 1JIJ) was found to be –7.520 kcal/mol for 4H8E, while the lowest binding affinity was –4.426 kcal/mol for 3VSL. The prepared membranes exhibited no cytotoxic effects on HDFa cells while demonstrating strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus.