*4.8. Mechanical Test of PVA Hydrogels Loaded with Quercetin/HP-β-CD Inclusion Complex*

To observe the effect of loading the drug into the hydrogel on its mechanical properties, compression testing was performed. The hydrogels were cut into circles of 0.5 cm radius in all experiments. The compressive strength of neat PVA hydrogel and drug-loaded hydrogels was measured with a universal testing machine (LRX-Plus, AMETEK Lloyd Instruments Ltd., Hampshire, UK) in terms of stiffness and compressive modulus. The loading cell was set at a 500 N, with 0.05 N preload and 1 mm/min speed, and the measurement was stopped when the load reached 10 N [50].
