cytotoxicity and antibacterial activity of ag@mof-5 loaded alginate–gelatin hydrogel as a promising antimicrobial biomaterial

The development of safe multifunctional biomaterials that possess antibacterial activity is of great importance. in this study, a composite alginate–gelatin hydrogel incorporating silver-modified mof-5 was developed to enhance antibacterial activity. the successful synthesis of the samples was confirmed by xrd characterization of mof-5, showing characteristic peaks at 2θ = 6.8°, 9.6°, and 13.7°, which remained identifiable after modification with ag. ftir analysis of the hy/ag(20)@mof-5 sample indicated an interaction between the carboxylate groups (–coo–) of alginate and the amino groups (–nh₂) of gelatin, with the absorption band shifting from 1583 cm⁻¹ to 1545 cm⁻¹, signifying the incorporation of ag@mof-5 within the hydrogel matrix. sem-edx results of hy/ag(20)@mof-5 revealed a uniformly porous surface structure and confirmed the presence of zn, o, c, and ag elements. ag@mof-5 in alginate-gelatin hydrogel causes a decrease in the swelling ratio and biodegradability percentage. the release profile of ag indicates that in the hy/ag(20)@mof-5 sample, the concentration of released ag is higher at 7.4 µg/ml after 24 hours; however, the release of ag ions remains controlled. the cytotoxicity test, shows a cell viability of over 79 % across all sample types, categorizing them as non-toxic within the tested concentration range. the antibacterial activity test results indicate that the hy/ag(20)@mof-5 sample exhibits the highest antibacterial activity against staphylococcus aureus and escherichia coli, with mic values of 1.2 ± 0.1 and 1.0 ± 0.1 mg/ml, respectively, and mbc values of 2.5 ± 0.1 and 2.7 ± 0.2 mg/ml, and is capable of killing all bacteria within 24 hours.