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A 4arm-PEG macromolecule crosslinked chitosan hydrogels as antibacterial wound dressing
Jiawei Lu1, Yi Chen1, Meng Ding2
1School of Packaging Materials and Engineering, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou, China; Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Comprehensive Utilization of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Waste Resources, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou, China.
A novel chitosan hydrogel was developed for wound dressings, exhibiting superior toughness, adhesion, and a 100% antibacterial rate against common bacteria. This advanced biomaterial shows great potential for improved wound healing applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Wound Healing
Background:
- Development of advanced wound dressings is crucial for effective tissue repair.
- Chitosan-based hydrogels offer promising properties but often require optimization for mechanical strength and performance.
- Existing chitosan hydrogels prepared with traditional methods may lack sufficient toughness and antibacterial efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and fabricate a novel chitosan hydrogel (Cn-Nm gel) with enhanced properties for wound dressing applications.
- To investigate the mechanical strength, swelling behavior, adhesive properties, and antibacterial activity of the developed hydrogel.
- To evaluate the biocompatibility of the chitosan-based hydrogel for potential use in wound care.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of chitosan hydrogel using aldehyde-4-arm polyethylene glycol (4r-PEG-CHO) as a crosslinker in an alkaline solution.
- Inclusion of amino-4-arm polyethylene glycol (4r-PEG-NH2) as an additive during the hydrogel preparation.
- Characterization of hydrogel properties including tensile strength, elongation, swelling ratio, water absorption, adhesive strength, and antibacterial efficacy against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.
Main Results:
- The novel Cn-Nm gels demonstrated superior mechanical properties with 500 kPa tensile strength and 1000% elongation.
- The hydrogel exhibited a significant swelling ratio of approximately 400% and rapid water absorption.
- Achieved approximately 300 kPa adhesive strength to skin, nearly 100% antibacterial rate against E. coli and S. aureus, and excellent biocompatibility in fibroblast tests.
Conclusions:
- The developed chitosan-based hydrogel (Cn-Nm gel) possesses excellent toughness, swelling capacity, adhesion, and potent antibacterial activity.
- The unique crosslinking strategy and dissolution technique result in superior performance compared to conventional methods.
- Cn-Nm gel is a highly promising candidate for advanced wound dressing applications, potentially improving wound healing outcomes.
