Summary:

Hydrogels (known also as superabsorbents, SAPs-Super Absorbent Polymers) belong to the group of polymers, which has recently become increasingly popular. These compounds are used in many fields, with particular emphasis on medicine and pharmacy. In this paper the synthesis of hydrogels based on chitosan which matrix was modified with products of natural origin (ie. extract of Salvia and bee pollen) and nanoparticles of gold or silver was carried out. The resulting hydrogels were tested for sorption capacity, as well as their tendency to degradation in simulated body fluid was determined. What is more, wettability of the attained materials was also defined. The obtained results confirmed that the introduction of additions to the hydrogel matrix has an impact on the physico-chemical properties of tested materials.