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Polydopamine Antioxidant Hydrogels for Wound Healing Applications
Naphtali A O'Connor1,2, Abdulhaq Syed1, Madeline Wong1
1Department of Chemistry, Lehman College of the City University of New York, Bronx, NY 10468, USA.
Gels (Basel, Switzerland)
|November 4, 2020
Summary
Polydopamine (PDA) hydrogels show significant antioxidant activity, enhancing wound healing. Dextran hydrogels crosslinked with PDA and polyethylene imine (PEI)-PDA copolymers demonstrate improved antioxidant properties and cell migration for therapeutic applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Antioxidants accelerate wound healing, making them key therapeutic targets for chronic wounds.
- Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, possesses inherent antioxidant properties and can be polymerized into polydopamine (PDA).
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate polydopamine (PDA) as an antioxidant biomaterial for wound healing applications.
- To synthesize and characterize dextran-based hydrogels incorporating PDA and a polyethylene imine-polydopamine (PEI-PDA) copolymer.
Main Methods:
- Utilized established methodology for crosslinking polysaccharides with polyamines using epichlorohydrin and NaOH.
- Prepared dextran hydrogels crosslinked with PDA and PEI-PDA copolymer, varying dopamine feed ratios.
- Assessed hydrogel properties including visual incorporation of PDA, morphology, strength, and antioxidant activity via a radical scavenging assay.
Main Results:
- Hydrogel darkening indicated successful PDA incorporation, with PEI-PDA copolymers yielding sturdier, darker gels.
- Hydrogel morphology and strength were tunable based on dopamine feed ratios.
- PDA-containing hydrogels exhibited significant antioxidant activity, with a 0.5 dopamine to dextran ratio hydrogel scavenging 78.8% of radicals, compared to 1.4% for controls.
- An ex vivo assay showed considerable cell migration on the PEI-PDA hydrogel.
Conclusions:
- Polydopamine is a viable antioxidant biomaterial for hydrogel development.
- Dextran hydrogels crosslinked with PDA and PEI-PDA copolymers show promise for enhancing wound healing due to their antioxidant capacity and ability to support cell migration.
