Development and characterization of polyvinyl alcohol/gelatin/chitosan hydrogel for tissue engineering and wound healing applications using a fish cell line model.

Abstract

Chitosan-based hydrogels have gained considerable attention in biomedical research due to their inherent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and non-toxicity. When combined with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), the resulting hydrogels exhibit superior mechanical strength, elasticity, and swelling capacity, making them highly suitable for a range of applications, including wound healing, tissue engineering, and controlled drug delivery. In this study, we synthesized and characterized a novel PVA/gelatin/chitosan (PVA/G/C) hydrogel composite using a series of analytical techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX). The morphological, structural, and compositional analyses confirmed the successful formation of a homogenous, porous network conducive to cell proliferation and nutrient diffusion. In this study, polyvinyl alcohol/gelatin/chitosan-based hydrogels were prepared to study the potential for micro-tissue formation and wound healing application using Danio rerio gill (DrG) and Danio rerio fin (DrF) cell lines, respectively. Overall, the findings indicated the potential use of PVA/G/C hydrogel films as wound dressings. The idea of creating physically cross-linked hydrogels of PVA and chitosan without using any harmful organic chemicals or solvents is the novelty of this work. This study highlights the versatility and potential of PVA/G/C hydrogels, not only as a promising material for wound healing and drug delivery but also as an effective scaffold for tissue engineering applications.