Modification of cotton gauzes with poly(acrylic acid) and poly(methacrylic acid) using gamma radiation for drug loading studies

• Published in: Radiation physics and chemistry (Oxford, England : 1993) Vol. 190; p. 109787
• Main Authors: Romero-Fierro, D.A., Camacho-Cruz, L.A., Bustamante-Torres, M.R., Hidalgo-Bonilla, S.P., Bucio, E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2022; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Acids; Acrylic acid; Acrylics; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Biomaterials; Cotton; Drug delivery systems; Gamma rays; Grafting; Medical equipment; Methacrylic acid; pH-sensitive polymers; Polyacrylic acid; Polymethacrylic acid; Radiation; System effectiveness; Vancomycin; Methacrylic acid; Vancomycin; Acrylic acid; pH-sensitive polymers; Biomaterials
• ISSN: 0969-806X; 1879-0895
• DOI: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2021.109787

Cotton gauzes are highly versatile medical devices for treating wounds due to their excellent absorption capacity and because they avoid contact between the wound and the environment. As materials of priority use, it is possible to take advantage of their ubiquity and use them as delivery systems for antimicrobial drugs that effectively treat skin wound infections. For this reason, this study proposes the modification of cotton gauzes through the grafting of pH-sensitive polymers, such as poly (acrylic acid) and poly (methacrylic acid), as a means of achieving drug delivery. The grafting process was carried out using gamma radiation, and the successful modification of the devices was verified with analytical techniques such as SEM, FTIR-ATR, TGA, and DSC, finding the novel properties of these modified materials. The grafted gauzes show a critical pH close to 4.7, which would allow for its application to some acidic skin wounds. In addition to the pH-buffering properties of the material, it was possible to load vancomycin onto the grafted materials as a pathway for the development of antimicrobial materials. [Display omitted] •The grafting on cotton gauze is produced by means of radical polymerization, using Co-60 as a radiation source.•Grafting of Gauze-g-AAc and Gauze-g-MAAc was obtained by the oxidative pre-irradiation method.•The doses used do not cause degradation of the cotton gauze.•Modified materials have a response to pH.•The graft allows loading of vancomycin into the matrix of the material.