Propolis enhanced sodium alginate hydrogel enriched with copper doped mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles for...

Chronic wounds, with prolonged healing time, remain a formidable challenge due to lack of angiogenesis, antimicrobial effect, and biocompatibility of conventional wound dressings. The current study focuses on developing novel copper-doped mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (Cu-MBGNs) doped with Propolis/ Sodium Alginate (ALG) based hydrogel to promote angiogenesis, tissue regeneration, biocompatibility, and antimicrobial efficacy for advanced wound healing applications. Hydrogel was synthesized using a solution-casting method. It was characterized using material and biological characterization techniques. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) displayed an interconnected porous network with dispersed Cu-MBGNs facilitating hydrogel swelling/deswelling and degradation behavior (75%). Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed crosslinking between propolis and ALG via hydrogen bonding. Hydrogel exhibited an antimicrobial effect against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus gallinarum. Cu⁺² promoted vasculogenesis by modulating vascular endothelial growth factor release and cytocompatibility. These results suggest that Propolis/ALG/Cu-MBGNs hydrogel offers cost-effective and sustainable solution for enhanced wound healing.