Swelling and cytocompatibility studies of Au/PVA hydrogel nanocomposites synthesized using gamma irradiation technique

Gold/Polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel nanocomposites (Au/PVA HNCs) have been synthesised by gamma irradiation technique. A PVA aqueous solution was mixed with four different molar concentrations of Au(Cl)4 from 0 to 3 µM and exposed to gamma irradiation dose of 25 kGy. The synthesised Au/PVA HNCs were characterised using powder-XRD and FESEM analysis. The swelling ratio of the synthesised Au/PVA HNCs has increased with Au(Cl)4 concentrations. In vitro cytocompatibility was evaluated for Au/PVA HNCs extracts against Human Fibrosarcoma (HT-1080) cell lines and found non-toxic to human skin cell lines. Metabolic activity of cells was analyzed using a Sulforhodamine B (SRB) calorimetric assay. All these characteristics of Au/PVA HNCs would render these materials as good candidates for wound dressing and skin care applications.