Fabrication and characterization of matrine-loaded konjac glucomannan/fish gelatin composite hydrogel as antimicrobial wound dressing

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The konjac glucomannan (hereafter referred to simply as konjac) hydrogel has favorable gel-forming ability and swelling capacity, but the insufficient flexibility and poor water retention have limited its utilization. In this study, composite gels based on konjac and fish gelatin (FG) were prepared by alkali processing and thermal treatment subsequently. The influence of FG contents on the gel fraction, swelling behavior, biodegradation. was researched. Matrine was incorporated into the hydrogel and its effect on the hemocompatibility and antibacterial activity of gels were evaluated. According to the results, all gels presented at least 270% swelling degree and 72.7%–81.5% equilibrium water content. Pure konjac hydrogel presented 83.9% gel fraction and 96.9% water evaporation rate, while those of the composite gels were 84.8%–93.0% and 75.0%–91.9% respectively. As the doses of matrine increased from 0 to 40 mg/mL, hemolysis values decreased from 1.56% to 0.12%, indicating the improved hemocompatibility. Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity of gels was enhanced steadily with the increase of matrine concentration. When matrine concentration was 40 mg/mL, the inhibitory zones for Escherichia coli ATCC25922 and Staphylococcus aureus CMCC(B) 26003 were 12 and 11.5 mm, respectively. The overall results suggested that matrine-loaded konjac/FG hydrogel could not only maintain physiological environment for wound healing but also inhibit the growth of bacterial on the wound surface.