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Published on: February 28, 2025
Bioengineered Water-Responsive Carboxymethyl Cellulose/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogel Hybrids for Wound Dressing and
Nádia Sueli Vieira Capanema1, Alexandra Ancelmo Piscitelli Mansur1, Isadora Cota Carvalho1,2,3
1Center of Nanoscience, Nanotechnology and Innovation-CeNano2I, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Federal University of Minas Gerais, UFMG, Av. Presidente Antônio Carlos, 6627-Escola de Engenharia, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil.
Researchers developed eco-friendly hybrid hydrogels from carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) using citric acid (CA) for advanced wound dressings. These biocompatible materials offer tunable properties for chronic wound healing and tissue engineering.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Tissue Engineering
Background:
- Chronic wounds pose a growing health burden, increasing medical costs and requiring advanced therapeutic solutions.
- Current wound dressings often lack the necessary properties for effective chronic wound management and soft tissue regeneration.
- Developing novel biomaterials with tunable characteristics is crucial for improving wound healing outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize water-responsive hybrid hydrogels based on carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) using citric acid (CA).
- To investigate the tunable physicochemical properties of these hydrogels for soft tissue engineering and wound dressing applications.
- To establish an eco-friendly and mild synthesis process for creating these advanced hydrogel materials.
Main Methods:
- Hybrid hydrogels were synthesized using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with citric acid (CA) as a crosslinker.
- Varying CMC molecular mass, PVA degree of hydrolysis, CMC/PVA ratio, and CA concentration to control hydrogel properties.
- Comprehensive characterization including swelling degree, gel fraction, chemical structure (ester bond formation), hydrophilicity, permeability, and in vitro cytocompatibility.
Main Results:
- Hydrogels exhibited tunable swelling degrees (100%–5000%) and gel fractions (40%–80%), influenced by CA concentration and PVA content.
- Characterization confirmed ester bond formation between CA carboxylic groups and polymer hydroxyl groups, creating a stable hybrid network.
- The synthesized hydrogels demonstrated excellent hydrophilicity, controlled permeability, and maintained over 90% cell viability, indicating good cytocompatibility.
Conclusions:
- A simple, eco-friendly method was developed to produce biocompatible hybrid hydrogels with tailored properties.
- These tunable hydrogels show significant potential as advanced wound dressings for chronic wound healing.
- The research provides a promising strategy for developing materials for soft tissue engineering applications.
