Biohydrogel Based on Dynamic Covalent Bonds for Wound Healing Applications

Chukwuma O Agubata,Ifeanyi T Nzekwe,César Saldías,David Díaz Díaz,Cynthia C Mbaoji

doi:10.3390/app11156945

Abstract

In this work, a biohydrogel based on alginate and dynamic covalent B-O bonds, and derived composites, has been evaluated for wound healing applications. In particular, a phenylboronic acid–alginate (PBA-Alg) complex was synthesized by coupling 3-aminophenylboronic acid onto alginate, and used to prepare varied concentrations of hydrogels and silicate-based nanocomposites in PBS. The resulting hydrogels were characterized in terms of interfacial tension, moisture uptake and loss, interaction with fresh acid-soluble collagen, self-healing ability, effects on blood clotting and wound healing. The interfacial tension between the hydrogels and biorelevant fluids was low and moisture loss of 55–60% was evident without uptake from the environment. The components of the hydrogels and their mixtures with collagen were found to be compatible. These hydrogels showed efficient self-healing and thixotropic behavior, and the animals in the treatment groups displayed blood clotting times between 9.1 min and 10.7 min. In contrast, the composites showed much longer or shorter clotting times depending on the silicate content. A significant improvement in wound healing was observed in 3% w/v PBA-Alg formulations. Overall, the PBA-Alg hydrogels exhibit self-healing dynamic covalent interactions and may be useful in dressings for incision wounds.

Highlights

When the body is injured, it activates a sequence of processes to heal, entailing hemostasis, inflammatory, proliferative, and maturation phases [1]
The phenylboronic acid–alginate conjugate was synthesized with a degree of substitution (DS)
The high adsorption capacity of these magnesium aluminosilicates may have influenced the result. These results show that low silicate-based phenylboronic acid–alginate (PBA-Alg) may be favored if normal blood clotting is desired, whereas high silicate-based PBA-Alg would be preferred if an anti-coagulant effect is desired

Summary

Introduction

When the body is injured, it activates a sequence of processes to heal, entailing hemostasis, inflammatory, proliferative, and maturation phases [1]. The reversible condensation reactions between derivatives of boronic acid and cis-1,2 or cis-1,3 diols (polyols) to form cyclic esters have been explored to create self-healing materials at room temperature [7,8]. Another advantage of the BO dynamic bonds has been ascribed to their role in the modulation of cell attachment and differentiation by using dynamic platforms in the presence of phenylboronic acids, which can interact with cell surface polysaccharides [9]. Natural polysaccharides such as sodium alginate can be conveniently functionalized with covalent bonds [11] to form biodegradable and biocompatible [12] self-healing soft materials [13,14]

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Conclusion