Development and optimization of a multifunctional cellulose-based hydrogel for enhanced crosslinking and tunability

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Wound Healing Research
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Donor site wounds from skin grafting present significant healing challenges, including pain and infection.
• Existing treatments like Xeroform gauze dressings offer suboptimal moisture and pain management.
• There is a critical need for advanced wound dressings to improve donor site healing outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a novel photocrosslinkable hydrogel dressing for enhanced donor site wound care.
• To optimize the hydrogel's properties for improved wound healing applications.
• To evaluate the hydrogel's biocompatibility, antimicrobial, and antifouling efficacy.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of an interpenetrating polymer network hydrogel using methacrylated cellulose and chitosan derivatives.
• Optimization of hydrogel properties (mechanical, swelling, rheological) by varying cellulose concentration and methacrylation degree (~30%).
• Assessment of hemocompatibility, cytotoxicity (3T3 fibroblast cells), antimicrobial activity, and antifouling properties against E. coli.

Main Results:

• The optimized hydrogel exhibited favorable mechanical properties, swelling ratio, and rheological characteristics.
• The hydrogel demonstrated excellent hemocompatibility and no cytotoxicity to fibroblast cells.
• The hydrogel showed superior antimicrobial and antifouling properties compared to Jelonet, inhibiting E. coli biofilm formation without antimicrobial agents.

Conclusions:

• The novel photocrosslinkable hydrogel dressing presents a promising advancement in donor site wound management.
• Its optimized properties offer enhanced moisture control and potential for pain reduction.
• This biomaterial provides an effective solution for improving healing in challenging donor site wounds.