Abstract:
In this study, bacterial ghosts (BGs) and hydrogels were analysed as means of drug delivery for
the treatment of cancer. The BGs were loaded with drugs and hydrogels, providing a platform for
various physiochemical interactions to control drug release. In particular, the study focused on
loading BGs with the anticancer drug Doxorubicin and encapsulating them in the following four
hydrogels: Agarose, Agar, Sodium Alginate, and Aloe Vera. The hydrogels were characterized
and found to have pH-responsive properties, which enabled precise medication administration.
Agarose hydrogel was identified as the most suitable candidate for drug delivery, as it showed
excellent drug release, good pH sensitivity, increased flexibility, mechanical stability, and drug
content. Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis was used to confirm the
functional groups of all hydrogels and (Scanning Electron Microscopy) SEM was used to
identify the BGs’ shape. Drug release from all hydrogels was confirmed using UV-Vis
Spectroscopy and their strength was evaluated through Compression Testing. Macroscopic
Diffusion Experiments were conducted to determine which hydrogel showed the best transport
performance using a model solute (Rhodamine-6B) dye. The study showed that the delivery
medium’s pH significantly impacted Doxorubicin release from the hydrogels; with Agarose
hydrogel demonstrating pH-responsive drug administration. Agarose exhibited a burst release at
pH 3.0 (within 3 hours), controlled release at the selected pH of 6.5 until (24 hours), and
complete drug release at pH 7.5 up until (48 hours). All four hydrogels were determined to be
non-cytotoxic, showing that they have the capacity to be used as drug delivery systems in
biological applications. Hence, the following study presents a novel approach to accelerate the
development of controlled-release hydrogels for drug delivery systems and offers a unique
analytical methodology which can be replicated in future investigations to understand the
composition-structure-performance correlations in new hydrogel materials. Overall, the study's
findings suggest that combining BGs with hydrogels have a potential for improving cancer
treatment through efficient drug delivery.
