Silver nanoparticles effect on drug release of metronidazole in natural rubber latex dressing

Natural rubber latex (NRL) from Hevea brasiliensis has shown great potential for dermal applications due to its angiogenesis capacity and biocompatibility. Metronidazole (MET) is a synthetic antibiotic used to treat various infections. However, this drug reports dangerous effects when high concentrations are administered. In this study, we used silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in order to minimize these toxicological effects. For this, the membranes were characterized by physicochemical, molecular modeling, in vitro release and hemocompatibility assays. In the release assays, 14.25% of the MET and 27.28% of the AgNP + MET complex were released simultaneously, indicating that these nanoparticles work as drug carriers. Molecular modeling simulation helped to explain the in vitro release results, showing that AgNPs can interact more efficiently with MET molecules. Moreover, similarities in reactivity between NRL and MET suggested that some drug molecules may remain in the matrix during the release process. The membranes did not present significant hemolytic activity after 24 h of incubation. These results demonstrated that the NRL + AgNP + MET membrane can be used as a dressing in the treatment of infectious processes.