Beads fabricated from alginate, hyaluronic acid, and gelatin using ionic crosslinking and layer‐by‐layer coating techniques for controlled release of gentamicin

The alginate/hyaluronic acid (AL/HA) blended beads at different ratios (AL70HA30, AL50HA50, and AL30HA70) were formed by ionic crosslinking technique. The layer‐by‐layer coating of the beads with two opposite charged molecules, positive‐charged type A gelatin (GA), and negative‐charged AL, using alternate soaking technique was introduced to stabilize the beads. The AL70HA30, AL50HA50 beads showed high stability because of high ionic crosslinked AL component. Two‐layer coating resulted in an appropriate layer that maximized the stability of the AL/HA beads. The higher ratio of HA resulted in the higher water absorption ability but degradation rate was accelerated. An antibiotic gentamicin was loaded into the beads with the entrapment efficiency of 69–89%. The beads containing 30% and 50% HA and coated with two layers showed a sustained release of gentamicin while the release behavior was governed by the diffusion and degradation of the beads. The gentamicin released from all beads also potentially inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus (gram‐positive) and Escherichia coli (gram‐negative) bacteria up to at least 48 h. These beads with antibacterial activity can be further explored for the application as bone void filling material for treatment of infection in bone diseases such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136 , 46893.