Quercetin/Selenium Functional Nanoparticle for Enhancing of Antimicrobial Activity and Anti-Inflammatory Potential of Chitosan/Polyvinyl Alcohol Cryogel

Recently natural products have been widely utilized for the stabilization and functional improvement of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs). Herein, quercetin which is a natural flavonoid is utilized for the reduction of selenium nanoparticles. The present study reports the formation of a hydrogel scaffold formed from chitosan (CS)/ poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) by freeze-thawing and freeze-drying methods. Quercetin /Selenium nanoparticles (Qu/SeNPs) were introduced with different ratios into the prepared hydrogel for enhancement of biological performance. Qu/SeNPs were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy and TEM. The hydrogel scaffolds were also characterized by FTIR, SEM and EDX. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of the hydrogel scaffolds against different pathogens, cell viability against human normal fibroblast (HFB4) cell line, and anti-inflammation activity using hemolysis inhibition bioassay were also investigated. The results confirmed the preparation of SeNPs using Qu as a reducing agent. The results also showed the formation of highly porous scaffolds that possess marked influence against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus Subtilis, and Candida albicans microbial strains. The in vitro cytotoxicity assay demonstrates that, the incorporation of Qu/SeNPs into the hydrogel reduced its cytotoxicity against HFB4. The hemolysis inhibition assay demonstrates the influence of the hydrogels on the protection of erythrocytes against hemolysis. These findings show the promising applications of CS/PVA hydrogel loaded with Qu/SeNPs in tissue engineering with minimal toxic effects associated with Qu and SeNPs.