Sodium Alginate/carboxymethyl chitosan-CuO hydrogel beads as a pH-sensitive carrier for the controlled release of curcumin

In this study, CMCS-CuO nanoparticles were added to the SA matrix by blending method to prepare SA/CMCS-CuO composite microspheres. The chemical structure and morphology of the composite beads were characterized. The results showed that there was a certain molecular interaction between CMCS-CuO NPs and SA matrix. The swelling experiment showed that with the increase of the mass of CMCS-CuO NPs, the maximum swelling ratio of gel microspheres decreased from 49.83% to 38.2%, and the time to reach the maximum swelling ratio also increased from 8 h to 11 h. Cytotoxicity test, hemolysis test, and cell migration test showed that the composite microspheres had good biocompatibility. Curcumin was added to the composite bead matrix by the blending method, and curcumin-loaded SA/CMCS-CuO composite beads were prepared by the crosslinking method. In vitro release experiments showed that SA/CMCS-CuO composite microspheres had good pH sensitivity, and the addition of CMCS-CuO NPs prolonged the in vitro release time of cur. It has certain application potential in the field of drug release.