Biomedical field uses polysaccharides for the last one half of the century due to its remarkable applications. Nature is an abundant source for natural polysaccharides made its use widely in this field. In this present chapter study, the potential of alginate-κ-carrageenan and alginate-gelatin hydrogel beads for encapsulating curcumin was investigated. The evaluation of different combination of combinations of alginate/κ-carrageenan and alginate/gelatin hydrogel beads were developed and drug release properties were compared using curcumin as a model drug. Alginate/κ-carrageenan hydrogel beads with 50:50 weight ratio exhibited higher swelling and better drug release percentage than compared to other beads. Antibacterial activity of curcumin released from hydrogel beads against B. cereus was established by disc assay. This nanosized vehicles with increases the efficacy and to control the delivery of biologically active substances at their specific site is as important as the drug activity itself.
Part of the book: Role of Novel Drug Delivery Vehicles in Nanobiomedicine