Alleviating hypoxia through self-generating oxygen and hydrogen peroxide fluorinated chitosan: Insights from a kinetic study

Abstract

Effective methods to alleviate hypoxia are necessary for the proper healing of chronic wounds. However, current oxygen (O2) delivery methods suffer from limitations, such as low O2 capacity and short supply time, burst release, and inadequate O2 preservation potential. This study presents a new approach utilising fluorinated chitosan (PFC-chitosan) infused with self-generating and preserving O2 and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). We incorporated calcium peroxide (CaO2)-loaded polycaprolactone (PCL) particles into the PFC-chitosan matrix and subsequently evaluated the release kinetics of O2 and H2O2 from these materials. The incorporation of CaO2 into PCL particles and PFC-chitosan effectively mitigate the rapid decomposition rate of CaO2 while the PFC groups enable the dissolution of generated O2 via Van der Waals interactions. The apparent rate constant (kO2) for O2 release from CaO2 under hypoxia decreased from 1.194 µM−1h−1 to 0.141 µM−1h−1 by incorporating into PCL particles and PFC-chitosan, indicating the slower release of O2 from these materials. Regarding release kinetics, H2O2 follows a pseudo-zero-order pattern, while O2 exhibits a pseudo-first-order pattern. The kO2 is affected by temperature, pH, initial O2 concentration in the release media, and an initial amount of CaO2. The particles with PFC-chitosan showed higher cell viability and slower O2 release rates, indicating improved angiogenesis potential. The simultaneous generation of O2 and H2O2 from PFC-chitosan may have the potential to improve chronic wound healing by providing a continuous supplying of O2.