Cytocompatible chitosan based multi-network hydrogels with antimicrobial, cell anti-adhesive and mechanical...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Engineering

Background:

• Hydrogels with superior mechanical and biological characteristics are crucial for biomedical applications.
• Chitosan (CS), zwitterionic sulfopropylbetaine (PDMAPS), and poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) (PHEA) offer unique properties for hydrogel development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate novel cytocompatible chitosan-based double-network (DN) and triple-network (TN) hydrogels.
• To evaluate the mechanical, antimicrobial, antifouling, and cytocompatible properties of these multi-network hydrogels.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of DN and TN hydrogels using physically-chemically crosslinking methods.
• Characterization of hydrogel microstructure using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
• Assessment of mechanical properties (compressive stress, tensile stress, failure strain) and biological properties (antimicrobial, cytocompatibility, antifouling).

Main Results:

• Both CS/PHEA (DN1) and CS/PDMAPS/PHEA (TN1) hydrogels exhibited uniform porous microstructures.
• DN1 hydrogels achieved maximum compressive stress of 84.7 MPa and tensile stress of 292 kPa.
• TN1 hydrogels reached maximum compressive stress of 81.9 MPa, tensile stress of 384 kPa, and a failure strain of 1020%.
• The developed hydrogels demonstrated good antimicrobial, cytocompatible, and antifouling properties.

Conclusions:

• The fabricated multi-network hydrogels possess excellent mechanical strength and desirable biological properties.
• The combination of CS, PDMAPS, and PHEA contributes to enhanced performance.
• These hydrogels present a promising pathway for developing advanced wound dressings and other biomedical applications.