Controlled delivery of therapeutic ions and antibiotic drug of novel alginate-agarose matrix incorporating selenium-modified borosilicate glass designed for chronic wound healing

•Selenium modified glass nanoparticles were incorporated into alginate-agarose polymeric blend.•Nano-composites were cross-linked using calcium and cobalt ions.•Nano-composites were biocompatible towards normal fibroblasts.•Nano-composites showed positive anti-microbial effect against staphylococcus aureus besides candida albicans.•Nano-composites were used for localized antibiotic delivery. Selenium has outstanding anti-bacterial, antioxidant, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, selenium modified borosilicate glass nanoparticles were incorporated into alginate-agarose polymeric blend designed for chronic wound healing. The fabricated nano-composites were cross-linked using calcium and cobalt ions. The cross-linked nano-composites included different glass contents (0, 5 and 10 wt.%), and were coded as 0PGSe-Co, 5PGSe-Co and 10PGSe-Co, respectively. They were characterized by SEM/EDX and FTIR. Nano-composites were biocompatible towards normal fibroblasts and showed positive anti-microbial effect against Staphylococcus aureus besides Candida albicans. In addition, they were successfully loaded with ciprofloxacin, amounts of loaded drug onto samples were 13.41 ± 1.94, 14.01 ± 0.52 and 14.87 ± 0.48 mg, respectively. The release mechanism of drug was proven to be through diffusion controlled mode. Finally, controlled release profiles of therapeutics ions were confirmed. Combining the therapeutic effects of ciprofloxacin with released anti-microbial ions could be extremely beneficial for chronic wound treatment