Allylthiourea‐mediated self‐healing hydrogels based on poly(vinyl alcohol): Enhanced cell viability/biocompatibility and sustained drug release

Abstract

AbstractHydrogel‐based materials represent promising candidates for drug delivery. In our research, we synthesized a series of hydrogels—PVATU‐1 (2:1), PVATU‐2 (1:1), and PVATU‐3 (0.5:1)—by adjusting the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) ratio while maintaining a constant ratio of allylthiourea (ATU) monomer and glutaraldehyde cross‐linker, aiming to understand their impacts on gelation. These PVATU hydrogels displayed impressive swelling in neutral conditions and exhibited visible self‐healing capabilities. Notably, PVATU‐1 shows superior mechanical strength among the variants. Surface analysis using AFM and SEM unveiled porous structures within the hydrogels, while thermal stability tests indicated their resilience up to 200°C. DSC analysis revealed minimal variation in glass transition temperatures (Tg), affirming stability. A distinct endothermic peak around 250–350°C across all hydrogels confirmed their semi‐crystalline nature, corroborated by powder XRD. Noteworthy, PVATU‐1 demonstrated optimal loading and releasing efficiency for levofloxacin, with 74.5% loading and 82.8% releasing efficiency within 18 h. Biocompatibility assessments on HeLa cells affirmed the nontoxicity of PVATU hydrogel treatments.