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Pure agarose (AG) hydrogels have strong rigidity and brittleness, which greatly limit their applications. Therefore, in this study, konjac glucomannan (KGM) was used to improve the properties of AG hydrogels. The effect of KGM on the structure and properties of AG hydrogels was investigated by rotational rheometry, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, and Scanning Electron Microscopy. The results showed that the flexibility of the composite hydrogels increases with KGM concentration, which may be attributed to a synergistic interaction between KGM and AG resulting in a compact network structure. In vitro drug release behavior of composite hydrogels was investigated under different environments using model drug ciprofloxacin. The results showed that the encapsulation, drug loading efficiencies, and sustained release capacity of AG hydrogels were enhanced by the incorporation of KGM. These results suggested that KGM has the potential to enhance the properties and drug release characteristics of AG hydrogels.

A novel EGCG-loaded DCKGM-CCKGM-Fe3+hydrogel was prepared by Dopamine-carboxymethyl konjac glucomannan (DCKGM) and an l-Cysteine-carboxymethyl konjac glucomannan (CCKGM) with Fe3+ as a cross-linking agent. Due to the dynamic property of Fe3+-phenolic hydroxyl coordination bond and intermolecular hydrogen bonding, the resultant hydrogel featured injectable, adhesive, temperature and pH-sensitive properties. The mechanisms were characterized using Rheological analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction patterns, and scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, the weak alkaline condition (pH 7.4) can trigger the release of EGCG, there was a cumulative release of 54.71 % of the loaded EGCG within 12 h in PBS at pH 1.2. When the pH of PBS was increased to 7.4, the cumulative release of EGCG increased to 68.54 %. Consequently, the EGCG-loaded DCKGM-CCKGM-Fe3+hydrogel (Fe3+Hydrogel) is a good candidate for the carrier for drug delivery. This paper provided a novel way for the preparation of hydrogel.

The exploration of methods to produce biomaterials with antibacterial properties in ultra-small scales is of great scientific and technological interest. Here, we reported a microfluidic spinning approach to prepare a novel film combined with konjac glucomannan (KGM), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). The film was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. This film was transparent, orderly, thermally stable, and uniform in size, with an average width less than 1 μm. Also, the film exhibited excellent antibacterial efficiency (97.1% against E. coli, 99.7% against S. aureus, 97.3% against S. enterica and 99.9% against B. subtilis) in our antibacterial test. In addition, the film promoted wound healing with the advanced development of neovascularization and hair follicles. This strategy provides a facile and green pathway for the construction of biomaterial films for medical applications.