Preparation of hydrogels based on okra pods/chia seeds mucilage for drug delivery application

In recent years, the utilization of natural sources for hydrogel preparation has surged, driven by their economic and environmental advantages. The use of natural polysaccharides offers distinct benefits over synthetic counterparts, including non-toxicity, cost-effectiveness, biodegradability, and widespread availability. This study explores the enhanced properties of natural hydrogels derived from mucilages extracted from okra pods and chia seeds. The hydrogels, fortified with zinc oxide nanoparticles and loaded with nettle extract as herbal drug, demonstrate improved mechanical strength and elastic behavior. The characterization of prepared hydrogel through FTIR, SEM, TGA, and RMS techniques, along with rheological analysis, reveals enhanced features. The release pattern and kinetics of nettle extract in the buffered medium were studied. The result of nettles extract release showed that it is most suitable for the zero-order model, which states that during the release process, the drug concentration in the body remains constant and the release is occurred by the Fickian mechanism. Swelling behavior studies showed increased water absorption capacity in nanocomposite hydrogels. Antibacterial assessments confirmed significant efficacy against Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Escherichia coli, and Yersinia bacteria. These suitable properties indicate that the synthesized nanocomposite hydrogel is a good formulation to be used as a drug delivery system.