Preparation and evaluation of β-glucan hydrogel prepared by the radiation technique for drug carrier applications

beta-Glucan can provide excellent environment to apply to drug carrier due to its immunological and anti-inflammatory effect. Minocycline hydrochloride (MH) has excellent oral bioavailability pharmacological properties. Specifically, MH is effectively absorbed into the gingiva for periodontal disease treatment. In this study, we attempt to develop MH loaded beta-glucan hydrogel for periodontal disease treatment through radiation-crosslinking technique. In addition, MH loaded beta-glucan hydrogels were tested for their cytotoxicity and antibacterial activity. Finally, we conducted an in vivo study to demonstrate the potential to prevent the invasion of bacteria to treat periodontal disease. The gel content and compressive strength of the beta-glucan hydrogels increased as the beta-glucan content and the absorbed dose (up to 7 kGy) increased. For a radiation dose of 7 kGy, the gelation and the compressive strength of a 6 wt% beta-glucan hydrogel were approximately 92% and 270 kPa, respectively. As a drug, MH was consistently released from beta-glucan hydrogels, reaching 80% at approximately 90 min. Furthermore, the MH loaded beta-glucan hydrogels showed no cytotoxicity. The MH loaded beta-glucan hydrogels exhibited good antibacterial activity against Porphyromonas gingivalis. In addition, MH loaded beta-glucan hydrogel demonstrated the potential of a good capability to prevent the invasion of bacteria and to treat wounds. (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V.