Facile synthesis of bacterial cellulose and polyethyleneimine based hybrid hydrogels for antibacterial applications

Bacterial cellulose (BC) has numerous unique properties; however, the lack of antibacterial properties has restricted its biomedical applications. To resolve this problem, we have developed BC/polyethyleneimine (PEI)-based antibacterial hydrogels by a facile two-step-one-pot method using epichlorohydrin (ECH) as a coupling agent. ECH was added to BC solution and homogenized, followed by cross-linking with different content of PEI. The prepared hydrogels showed thermal stability, moldability, and PEI-content dependent mechanical properties. Furthermore, the antibacterial properties of the prepared hydrogels were investigated against S. aureus and E. coli by agar well diffusion method and colony forming unit method. All hydrogels containing PEI showed antibacterial properties dependent on PEI content. The hydrogels containing PEI ≥ 12.88 mg/mL showed more than 99% antibacterial activity against both strains. We believe that the prepared hydrogels can find potential applications in biomedical fields. Graphic abstract