Background: Nanocarriers for antibacterial drugs became hopeful tools against the increasing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics. This work focuses on a comprehensive study of the applicability and therapeutic suitability of dermal carbopol-based hydrogels containing chloramphenicol carried by various nanoparticles (AuNPs and SiNPs). Methods: The different forms of carbopol-based drugs for dermal use were obtained. Five different concentrations of chloramphenicol and two types of nanoparticles (silica and gold) in carbopol-based ointments were tested. The influence of different carbopol formulations with nanocarriers on the rheological properties as well as the release profile of active substances and bacteriostatic activity on five reference strains were determined. Results: The properties of the obtained hydrogels were compared to a commercial formulation, and finally it was possible to obtain a formulation that allowed improved antimicrobial activity over a commercially available detreomycin ointment while reducing the concentration of the antibiotic. Conclusion: The work indicates that it is possible to reduce the concentration of chloramphenicol by four times while maintaining its bacteriostatic activity, which can improve the patient’s safety profile while increasing the effectiveness of the therapy. Graphical

The copolymers of ethylene (E) with open-caged iso-butyl-substituted tri-alkenyl-silsesquioxanes (POSS-6-3 and POSS-10-3) and phenyl-substituted tetra-alkenyl-silsesquioxane (POSS-10-4) were synthesized by copolymerization over the ansa-metallocene catalyst. The influence of the kind of silsesquioxane and of the copolymerization conditions on the reaction performance and on the properties of the copolymers was studied. In the case of copolymerization of E/POSS-6-3, the positive comonomer effect was observed, which was associated with the influence of POSS-6-3 on transformation of the bimetallic ion pair to the active catalytic species. Functionality of silsesquioxanes and polymerization parameters affected the polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) contents in the copolymers which varied in the range of 1.33–7.43 wt %. Tri-alkenyl-silsesquioxanes were incorporated into the polymer chain as pendant groups while the tetra-alkenyl-silsesquioxane derivative could act as a cross-linking agent which was proved by the changes in the contents of unsaturated end groups, by the glass transition temperature values, and by the gel contents (up to 81.3% for E/POSS-10-4). Incorporation of multi-alkenyl-POSS into the polymer chain affected also the melting and crystallization behaviors.