The University of Basrah Publishes a Research Paper in a Scopus-Indexed Journal
Dr. Ammar Yasser Jassim, a faculty member at the Marine Science Center, University of Basrah, has published a research paper entitled:
“Preparation of Oxidized Starch/PVA/ZnO Nanobiocomposite Hydrogel as a Drug Delivery Agent: SERS-Driven In Vitro Vancomycin Release Kinetics and Biological Potential Evaluation.”
The paper was published in the Journal of Polymer Research, issued by Springer Nature. The journal is ranked in the second quartile (Q2) with an impact factor of 2.9 and is indexed in Scopus. It specializes in publishing fundamental and applied research in polymer science, distinguished by its interdisciplinary scope encompassing polymer technology, public health sciences, biology, and biochemistry.
The study investigated the structural, morphological, physical, and chemical properties of a nanobiocomposite hydrogel composed of oxidized starch, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and zinc oxide (ZnO) as a drug delivery system. It also examined its swelling behavior under various environmental conditions, including water, saline, and buffer solutions.
Furthermore, the research evaluated the hydrogel’s antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, its cytotoxicity against SW480 cells, and its hemocompatibility to determine its biological performance. Vancomycin was incorporated into the nanobiocomposite hydrogel, and its release behavior was analyzed using both conventional UV–Vis spectroscopy and Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS), coupled with Partial Least Squares Regression analysis.
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