Exploring self-crosslinked hydrogel: Carboxymethyl chitosan and oxidized alginate for wound healing applications

Abstract

This study reports the development and evaluation of self-healing hydrogel composed of carboxymethyl chitosan (CmCh) and oxidized alginate, with a focus on wound healing applications. Oxidized alginate was synthesized via metaperiodate oxidation and characterised. The hydrogels were formulated using Schiff base reactions with two weight ratios of oxidized alginate and CmCh, and their cross-linking mechanism was proposed. The developed hydrogels were characterised for their gelation, pH, self-healing capability, conductivity, and injectability. The optimized hydrogel was further evaluated for antibacterial activity, cytotoxicity, haemocompatibility, and in vitro wound healing studies. Results revealed that hydrogels with the lowest ratio of oxidized alginate to CmCh exhibited superior gelation, tensile strength, and injectability without needle clogging. Additionally, rapid self-healing of hydrogels was confirmed via Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis. The optimized hydrogel displayed good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, alongside haemocompatibility. Additionally, in vivo studies demonstrated comparable wound healing efficacy to marketed formulations and significant improvement over control groups. These findings indicates the potential of self-healing hydrogels made up of oxidized alginate and CmCh for tissue engineering applications.