Biodegradable hydrogel-based biomaterials with high absorbent properties for non-adherent wound dressing

Dressing materials involve conventional gauzes and modern materials such as hydrogels and foam-based biomaterials. Although the choice of dressing material depends on the type of wound, a dressing material is expected to be non-cytotoxic. Additionally, moist dressing is considered appropriate to accelerate epithelialisation, while dry dressing may cause tissue damage during removal. An ideal dressing material is expected to provide a moist environment and degrade and release the drug for faster wound healing. Thus, we have designed a hydrogel-based biodegradable dressing material to provide the moist environment with no cytotoxic effect in vitro. The design of the hydrogel involved alginate-collagen reinforced with whisker cellulose derived from cotton. The hydrogel was prepared via amide linkage in the presence of 1-ethyl-(dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide (NHS), followed by divalent cationic cross-linking of alginate and hydrogen bonding with cellulose. The high water retention capability of the hydrogel enables a moist environment to be maintained in the wounded area. The constituents of the hydrogel provided a microenvironment that was suitable for cell proliferation in the vicinity of the hydrogel but inhibited cell attachment on it. The MTT assay results indicated a higher fibroblast proliferation and viability in the presence of the hydrogel.