Chitosan based hydrogels as temporary implants for breast cancer postsurgical treatment and site-infections prophylaxis.

Mastectomy is a primary treatment for breast cancer, which can cause both psychological distress and physical complications, such as post-surgical infections. This driven interest in developing bioactive materials for temporary post-mastectomy implants. This study reports the synthesis and characterization of chitosan-based hydrogels crosslinked with furfural and glutaraldehyde via imine bonds, incorporating the therapeutic agents curcumin and 5-fluorouracil (5FU) for potential post-mastectomy applications. Homogenous drugs encapsulation within the hydrogel matrix was confirmed through spectroscopic, microscopic, and supramolecular characterization techniques. The materials exhibited desirable viscoelastic properties, including anti-creep and pseudoplastic behavior, suggesting suitability for breast reconstruction. Furthermore, the hydrogels demonstrated significant antioxidant and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. In vitro assays (MTS and live/dead assay) confirmed potent anticancer activity, highlightening the dual therapeutic potential of these formulations. Controlled release kinetics of both curcumin and 5FU were observed, and in vitro biodegradability assessment indicated high potential of these materials to be used as temporary implants for postsurgical cancer therapy and infection prophylaxis.