Abstract

The growing concern about microorganism infections, especially hospital-acquired infections, has driven the demand for effective and safe agents in recent years. Herein, novel nanocomposites were prepared based on layered double hydroxides (LDH NPs), Fe2O3 nanoparticles (Fe2O3 NPs), and chitosan hydrogel beads in different concentrations. The characteristics and composition of the prepared materials were investigated by various techniques such as XRD, FESEM, and FTIR. The results indicate that the nanocomposites are synthesized successfully, and each component is present in hydrogel matrixes. Then, their biomedical properties, including antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant activity, were examined. Our findings demonstrate that the antimicrobial activity of nanocomposites significantly depends on the concentration of each component and their chemical groups. It shows itself in the result of the inhibitory zone of all bacteria or fungi samples. The obtained results indicate that the nanocomposite of Chitosan-hydrogel beads with 20 LDH and Fe2O3 (CHB-LDH-Fe2O320) and Chitosan-hydrogel beads based on 20 LDH (CHB-LDH20) showed excellent antibacterial and antifungal properties against all tested bacteria and fungi (P <= 0.01). In addition, the antioxidant effects of the synthesized materials (especially CHB-LDH Fe2O320 and CHB-LDH20) were investigated, showing high antioxidant efficacy against DPPH free radicals (P <= 0.01). According to our findings, we can say that these materials are promising biomaterials for inhibiting some infectious bacteria and fungi.