Bioactive hydrogels from chitosan-gelatin-PVA@PVP@ZnO for enhanced antimicrobial activities for wound healing

Skin wound treatment and rehabilitation affect individuals and world health economically and socially. The negative impacts of infections, protracted recovery, and treatment costs cause this socio-economic burden. Herein, we have developed novel hydrogels from chitosan, gelatin, and PVA, crosslinked with TEOS and incorporated with PVP-coated ZnO (PVP@ZnO). These formulations were characterized to determine their structural behavior, porous morphology, thermal stability, and wettability using FTIR, SEM, TGA, and water contact system. The analyses, including swelling in different media, biodegradation, water retention, and gel fraction, were conducted to assess their physicochemical and pH-responsive behaviors. The antibacterial and antioxidant activities were also evaluated to determine their antimicrobial potential, and it was found that CGPZnO_1% exhibited maximum antimicrobial activity with exceptional hemocompatibility. The results confirmed that an increased quantity of PVP@ZnO led to improved cellular characteristics and accelerated wound healing. Hence, all these results revealed that the bioactive hydrogel formulation is pH-responsive and can be a promising dressing material for wound healing.