{
  "abstract": "Background: Effective wound dressings must combine antimicrobial action with support of tissue repair. Chitosan hydrogels are biocompatible but weakly antimicrobial, whereas ZnO nanoparticles are potent antimicrobials that need a carrier matrix. Most studies address either loading chemistry or biological performance, rarely both. Here, the ZnO-loading chemistry of a CH-g-P(AA-co-Am)/ZnO nanocomposite hydrogel is linked to its biological behaviour.\n\nMethods: The hydrogel was synthesised by free-radical graft copolymerisation (potassium persulfate initiator, N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide crosslinker), loaded with ZnO nanoparticles and characterised by FTIR, XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, AFM, EDX and TGA. ZnO loading was studied in batch experiments. Antimicrobial activity (S. aureus, E. coli, A. niger), wound healing (full-thickness excisional wounds in BALB/c mice; 24 animals in four groups of six) and cytotoxicity (A172 glioblastoma cells and the WRL68 reference line, MTT assay) were assessed.\n\nResults: ZnO nanoparticles (20–50 nm) were uniformly dispersed in the network; EDX gave 4.3 wt% zinc, and T95% rose from 198.9 to 242.1°C. The nanocomposite swelled by 130.77%. Loading followed pseudo-second-order kinetics (R2 = 0.9966) and the Freundlich isotherm (R2 = 0.916), with a Langmuir-derived reference capacity of 18.35 mg/g. Loading was endothermic (ΔH = +49.19 kJ/mol) yet spontaneous (ΔG = −2.10 kJ/mol), hence entropy-driven, consistent with mixed physical and coordinative binding of Zn2⁺ to carboxylate groups that governs zinc release. The nanocomposite gave inhibition zones of 24 ± 0.8 mm (S. aureus), 22 ± 0.6 mm (E. coli) and 25 ± 0.8 mm (A. niger) and 98.7 ± 1.1% wound closure by day 14. IC50 values against A172 were 94.97 (hydrogel) and 71.05 µg/mL (nanocomposite); IC50 ratios relative to WRL68 were 1.79 and 2.41. As WRL68 is HeLa-derived and ZnO may interfere with tetrazolium readouts, these values indicate a differential response, not tumour selectivity.\n\nConclusion: The CH-g-P(AA-co-Am)/ZnO nanocomposite combines controlled zinc loading, antimicrobial activity and effective wound healing in one platform, supporting its potential as a multifunctional wound dressing.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Laboratory and Clinical Science, College of Pharmacy, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Diwaniyah, Iraq",
    "Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Diwaniyah, Iraq",
    "Branch of Physiology, Biochemistry and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Kerbala, Kerbala, Iraq",
    "Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ebla Private University, Idlib, Syria",
    "Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ebla Private University, Idlib, Syria",
    "Department of Chemistry, College of Education, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Diwaniyah, Iraq"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Asaad H Alzaidy",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4604-0310"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Safaa H Ganduh",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3839-5602"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Murtadha Saleh Hussien",
      "orcid": "0009-0003-7466-9903"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Asawer A Mhammed Alzayd",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5556-3458"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Ahmad Manee",
      "orcid": "0009-0009-3725-2459"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Reem Hasan Obaydo",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1496-4612"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Layth S Jasim",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6134-1894"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9tsqxf3msswfy.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.2147/ijn.s612602",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13696441/",
  "id": "9tsqxf3msswfy",
  "issns": [
    "1176-9114",
    "1178-2013"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.2147/ijn.s612602",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Research"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1313|Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7222872027",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13696441?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13696441",
  "pmid": "42935615",
  "published": "2026-10-19",
  "publisher": "Dove Press",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9tsqxf3msswfy.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:47Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13696441",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.2147/ijn.s612602"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:22:12Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42935615",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42935615"
    }
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:1313|Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Synthesis, Characterization, and Multifunctional Applications of Chitosan-Grafted-Poly(Acrylic Acid-Co-Acrylamide)/ZnO Nanocomposite Hydrogel: Loading Studies, Antimicrobial Activity, Wound Healing, and Anticancer Potential",
  "title_text": "Synthesis, Characterization, and Multifunctional Applications of Chitosan-Grafted-Poly(Acrylic Acid-Co-Acrylamide)/ZnO Nanocomposite Hydrogel: Loading Studies, Antimicrobial Activity, Wound Healing, and Anticancer Potential",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:33:46Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9tsqxf3msswfy",
  "venue": "International Journal of Nanomedicine",
  "versions": []
}