Biocompatible Chitosan-Based Hydrogels for Bioabsorbable Wound Dressings.

Ramona Lungu,Maria-Alexandra Paun,Daniela Ailincai,Luminita Marin,Vladimir-Alexandru Paun,Dragos Peptanariu,Mihai-Virgil Nichita,Viorel-Puiu Paun

doi:10.3390/gels8020107

Abstract

Supramolecular hydrogels based on chitosan and monoaldehydes are biomaterials with high potential for a multitude of bioapplications. This is due to the proper choice of the monoaldehyde that can tune the hydrogel properties for specific practices. In this conceptual framework, the present paper deals with the investigation of a hydrogel as bioabsorbable wound dressing. To this aim, chitosan was cross-linked with 2-formylphenylboronic acid to yield a hydrogel with antimicrobial activity. FTIR, NMR, and POM procedures have characterized the hydrogel from a structural and supramolecular point of view. At the same time, its biocompatibility and antimicrobial properties were also determined in vitro. Furthermore, in order to assess the bioabsorbable character, its biodegradation was investigated in vitro in the presence of lysosome in media of different pH, mimicking the wound exudate at different stages of healing. The biodegradation was monitored by gravimetrical measurements, SEM microscopy and fractal analyses of the images. The fractal dimension values and the lacunarity of SEM pictures were accurately calculated. All these successful investigations led to the conclusion that the tested materials are at the expected high standards.

Highlights

Introduction iationsWounds are a major health concern when they occur on large skin portions as a result of injury or illness, such as burns, chronic skin ulcers, venous stasis, or diabetes mellitus [1,2,3]
This hydrogel has been designed in view of applications for biodegradability depending on pH, following the evolution of the pH exudate over the wound healing; compared with the reported data [19], the synthetic procedure has wound healing period
A chitosan-based hydrogel with biocompatibility and antimicrobial properties suitable for wound healing has been synthetized by an acid condensation reaction with 2-formlphenyl-boronic acid to yield imine units and their supramolecular ordering into ordered clusters with the role of crosslinking nodes

Summary

Introduction

Introduction iationsWounds are a major health concern when they occur on large skin portions as a result of injury or illness, such as burns, chronic skin ulcers, venous stasis, or diabetes mellitus [1,2,3]. Many researchers have focused their attention to find solutions for rapid wound closure and developing an aesthetically satisfactory scar. To this aim, strategies including antibacterial ointments, synthetic growth factors, polyurethanes, polymeric hydrogels, and fiber dressings have been developed over the years [5,6,7,8]. Polymeric hydrogels showed the advantage of supporting a hydrated environment, adsorbing excess fluids [9,10,11]. Among them, those based on polysaccharides demonstrated non-toxic, biodegradable, and biocompatible properties, providing a good

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