An Injectable Chitosan-Based Self-Healable Hydrogel System as an Antibacterial Wound Dressing

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Chitosan hydrogels show promise in regenerative medicine for applications like wound healing.
• Conventional crosslinking agents for chitosan hydrogels, such as formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde, pose toxicity and cost concerns.
• There is a need for safe, effective, and affordable chitosan-based biomaterials for wound infection prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a biocompatible and cost-effective chitosan-based hydrogel system for wound healing applications.
• To create a self-healable and injectable hydrogel using chitosan and dialdehyde chitosan (CTS-CHO).
• To evaluate the antibacterial and biocompatibility properties of the novel hydrogel system.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of the chitosan-based hydrogel via dynamic Schiff-base reactions between chitosan and dialdehyde chitosan (CTS-CHO).
• Evaluation of rheological properties, degradation profile, and self-healable characteristics.
• Assessment of antibacterial activity using spread plate experiments.
• Determination of biocompatibility through Live/Dead assays on HEK 293 cells.

Main Results:

• The developed hydrogel system demonstrated self-healable and injectable properties.
• Rheological properties and degradation profiles were successfully evaluated.
• The hydrogel exhibited significant antibacterial activity against wound pathogens.
• Live/Dead assays confirmed the excellent biocompatibility of the hydrogel with HEK 293 cells.

Conclusions:

• The novel chitosan-based hydrogel, crosslinked with dialdehyde chitosan (CTS-CHO), is a promising biomaterial for wound healing.
• The hydrogel's self-healable, injectable, antibacterial, and biocompatible characteristics make it an excellent candidate for advanced wound dressings.
• This cost-effective system addresses the limitations of traditional chitosan crosslinking agents.