Augmenting the antimicrobial activity of clindamycin hydrochloride-loaded acrylate polymer/zinc oxide nanocomposites against pathogenic microbes

Abstract

Our study's primary goal is to increase clindamycin hydrochloride's antibacterial efficacy by loading it into acrylate polymer/zinc oxide nanocomposites, which is among the most effective ways to accomplish controlled drug release to a precise targeted spot. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were first made at room temperature (25 °C) using starch as a biopolymer stabilizer. The ZnO NPs were produced in almost spheres with an average particle size of 20 ± 2 nm that were verified using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), FT-IR, zeta potential and UV-vis absorbance. Green microemulsion polymerization techniques have been used in the field of polymer manufacturing to create advanced nanocomposites in an environmentally responsible manner. In order to encapsulate clindamycin hydrochloride as a medicinal drug, we have created zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) integrated into polymeric nanospheres made of poly(methyl methacrylate-co-hydroxypropyl methacrylate) poly(MMA/HPMA). The prepared drug delivery system is thoroughly characterized via morphological and particle size analyzers, zeta potential, FT-IR, and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) to study the influence of monomer composition ratio, drug content, and ZnO NP content on the in vitro drug release, morphological and structural characteristics, and entrapment efficiency. Well-defined spherical poly(MMA/HPMA) and its nanocomposite with ZnO NPs were created with an average particle size of 31.78 and 50 nm, respectively. It was found that the entrapment efficiency of drugs varied with the ZnO NP ratio and increased, ranging from 62.22 to 82.95% for the polymer nanospheres containing 0 and 5% ZnO NPs, respectively, and confirmed by the transmission electron microscope (TEM) and FTIR spectra. Furthermore, the in vitro drug release tests revealed that the drug content and ZnO NPs, as well as the monomer composition ratio, are highly efficient in determining the percentage of drug release. When the HPMA ratio and drug content were higher, it was observed that the drug released more quickly. Otherwise, the drug release was further regulated, delayed, and sustained due to the slower drug release generated by the ZnO NPs in the nanocomposite. The antibacterial activity of the polymer nanocomposite was evaluated based on the zone of inhibition against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and it was shown to be effective against the Gram-positive bacterium B. subtilis and the Gram-negative bacterium E. cloacae with ZOI (mm) as 34 and 20, respectively.