Design of Macroscopically Ordered Liquid Crystalline Hydrogel Columns Knitted with Nanosilver for Topical Applications.

The design of liquid crystalline hydrogels knitted with silver nanoparticles in macroscopic ordering is becoming a subject of research interest due to their promising multifunctional applications in biomedical and optoelectronic applications. The present work describes the development of liquid crystalline Schiff-based hydrogel decorated with silver nanoparticles and the demonstration of its antifungal applications. Schiff base was prepared from polyglucanaldehyde and chitosan, and the former was prepared by the oxidation of amylose (polyglucopyranose) isolated from abundantly available unutilized jackfruit seed starch. Self-assembled silver columns decorated with macroscopically ordered networks were prepared in a single step of in situ condensation and a reduction/complexation process. The various noncovalent interactions among the -OH, -C═O, and -NH impart rigidity and ordering for the formation of macroscopically ordered liquid crystalline hydrogel and the Ag(I) complexation evidenced from the studies made by FT-IR spectroscopy in combination with rheology and microscopic techniques such as SEM, TEM, AFM, XRD, and PLM. The antifungal studies were screened using species of Candida by disc diffusion method. The MIC and MFC values, in vitro antifungal studies, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and propidium iodide (PI) uptake results suggest that the present macroscopically ordered liquid crystalline hydrogel system can be considered an excellent candidate for topical applications. All these results suggest that this design strategy can be exploited for the incorporation of biologically relevant metal nanoparticles for developing unique robust hydrogels for multifunctional applications.