Antimicrobial Hydrogels: Promising Soft Biomaterials

Abstract Hydrogel is a three‐dimensional, hydrophilic network of cross‐linked monomer or polymer units. A modified version of the hydrogel which exhibits antimicrobial properties is known as antimicrobial hydrogel. Antimicrobial properties of the antimicrobial hydrogel are due to the inheritance of antimicrobial monomers/polymers or due to the installation by the incorporation of antimicrobial agents such as a metal nanoparticle, metal oxide, antibiotics, and any other synthetic drug molecule. More attention has been taken towards antimicrobial hydrogel as the pharmaceutical and biomedical field facing the problem of drug resistance. Antimicrobial hydrogel provides a suitable alternative for antibiotic drugs and also successful to replace many antibiotic drugs which cause a serious side effect on the human body. Antimicrobial hydrogel targets the cell membrane of the microorganism and destroys them. Due to this unique type of cell lysis mechanism, microbes are rarely able to develop resistance towards antimicrobial hydrogel. The hydrogel is porous, highly flexible, and holds a particular amount of water. These properties impart a moist and living body tissue‐like environment and hence make it a suitable biomaterial to use in biomedical applications. The present article focused on the recent development of bio‐based antimicrobial hydrogels and their applications in drug delivery, wound healing and dressing, tissue engineering, and agriculture.