Cytotoxicity and Acute Gastrointestinal Toxicity of Bacterial Cellulose-Poly (acrylamide-sodium acrylate) Hydrogel: A Carrier for Oral Drug Delivery

Background: Preliminary safety evaluation of polymer intended to use as drug delivery carrier is essential. Methods: In this study polyacrylamide grafted bacterial cellulose (BC/AM) hydrogel was prepared by microwave irradiation initiated free radical polymerization. The synthesized hydrogel was subjected to in vitro cytotoxicity and acute gastrointestinal toxicity studies to evaluate its biological safety as potential oral drug delivery carrier. Results: The results indicate that hydrogel was non cytotoxic and did not show any histopathological changes in GI tract after a high dose of oral administration. Conclusion: The results revealed that hydrogel composed of bacterial cellulose and polyacrylamide is safe as oral drug delivery carrier.