pH-responsive drug delivery and antimicrobial efficacy of pectin- polyhexamethylene guanidine-based polyelectrolyte complex biocides

•A solid-state antimicrobial complex biocide has been proposed.•Polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG), is acknowledged for its potent bactericidal, and fungicidal properties.•A polyelectrolyte complex is prepared by interacting pectin (PEC) with the PHMG.•The prepared PEC: PHMG complex exhibits inherent antimicrobial activity owing to its positively charged groups. This study presents a solid-state antimicrobial complex formed by combining pectin (PEC) and polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG). The complex exhibits inherent antibacterial activity. Furthermore, curcumin (Cur) was loaded into the complex for drug delivery applications. Cur interacts with the complex through weak electrostatic forces, enabling controlled drug release under mildly acidic conditions. The PEC: PHMG complex with Cur demonstrates enhanced antibacterial efficacy compared to PEC: PHMG alone, making it a promising antimicrobial and drug delivery platform with diverse drug delivery and antimicrobial applications.