Tetracycline hydrochloride loaded regenerated cellulose composite membranes with controlled release and efficient antibacterial performance

Abstract

Fabrication of cellulose based composites with controlled release and efficient antibacterial performances is of general interest in biomedical areas. In this study, antibiotic drug, tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH), loaded regenerated cellulose (RC) composite membranes were prepared and their drug release, antibacterial activity and biocompatibility were evaluated. The structure and morphology of the formed RC-TCH composite membranes were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The TCH release results showed that the RC membrane is capable of controlled release. In vitro antibacterial assay demonstrated that the developed RC-TCH composites displayed excellent antibacterial activity, solely associated with the loaded TCH drug. More importantly, the RC-TCH composites displayed good biocompatibility, thus confirming its utility as potential in wound dressings and other medical applications.