Polyacrylamide/Gel-Based Self-Healing Artificial Tympanic Membrane for Drug Delivery of Otitis Treatment

Abstract

One of the bacterial infections caused by tympanic membrane perforation is otitis media (OM). Middle ear inflammation causes continuous pain and can be accompanied by aftereffects such as facial nerve paralysis if repeated chronically. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an artificial tympanic membrane (TM) that can effectively regenerate the eardrum due to the easy implantation and removal of OM inflammation. In this study, we synthesized hydrogel by mixing gelatin and polyacrylamide. Cefuroxime sodium salt was then incorporated into this hydrogel to both regenerate the TM and treat OM. Cytotoxicity experiments confirmed the biocompatibility of hydrogels equipped with antibiotics, and we conducted drug release and antibacterial experiments to examine continuous drug release. Through experiments, we have verified the excellent biocompatibility, drug release ability, and antibacterial effectiveness of hydrogel. It holds the potential to serve as an effective strategy for treating OM and regenerating TM as a drug delivery substance.