The present study reports a novel chitosan/halloysite nanotube (CS/HNT) nanocomposite hydrogel system for the controlled delivery of quercetin, to overcome its poor solubility and bioavailability limitations. The nanocomposite achieved 42% drug loading capacity and 83.5% encapsulation efficiency. In vitro studies showed pH-responsive behavior over 96 h with maximum drug release (92%) at pH 5.4, indicating increased availability in inflammatory conditions. The release mechanism followed Fickian diffusion that was corroborated by kinetic modeling. The successful synthesis and compatibility were confirmed via FTIR, XRD, and FESEM characterization techniques while analysis with DLS showcased a particle homogeneous distribution of 218.6 nm size alongside sufficient colloidal stability with the measure of a zeta potential standing at +48.2629 mV. These nanocomposites exhibited excellent biocompatibility on L929 fibroblast cells with very interesting antimicrobial results against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli . These findings establish CS/HNT nanocomposite hydrogels as promising carriers for anti-inflammatory drug delivery, offering enhanced therapeutic efficacy with controlled release properties.
Khalifeh et al. (2026) studied this question.