A convenient approach by using poly‐(HEMA‐co‐NIPAM)/Cu²⁺ solution sol–gel transition for wound protection and healing

Abstract

Rapid and convenient wound healing is crucial for reducing potential post-traumatic wound complications. In this study, a temperature-sensitive polymer of poly-(HEMAco-NIPAM) (PHN) was synthesized by free-radical polymerization, in which the solution quickly underwent a sol-gel transition above 29 C, thus responding to a typical body temperature and facilitating wound sealing. PHN solution incorporated with copper ions (PHN-Cu) not only exhibited excellent antibacterial properties, but also expedited wound closure and facilitated tissue angiogenesis. The in vivo and in vitro experiments showed that the PHN-Cu had a higher wound closure rate and demonstrated an ability to promote skin tissue angiogenesis. Such a versatile, convenient aqueous solution could enable nonprofessionals to promptly treat wounds in a short time after injury, thus providing suitable conditions for later treatment, and can be used as a convenient method to clean wounds.

Copper incorporated biomaterial-based technologies for multifunctional wound repair

“…Normally the human skin temperature is 26 °C-34 °C 166 . Wang et al obtained PHN-Cu solutions with a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of 29 °C by direct doping of Cu 2+ in poly-(HEMA-co-NIPAM) solution 167 . PHN-Cu underwent a rapid phase change when applied to wounds, with the potential to stop bleeding by increasing wound pressure and to release Cu 2+ to accelerate wound healing in diabetic rats.…”

Flexible and temperature-responsive hydrogel dressing for real-time and remote wound healing monitoring

“…The superior properties and abundance of derivatives of PNIPAM give it wide applications, including actuation, sensing, separation, drug and gene delivery and tissue engineering. [25][26][27] Most importantly, the LCST of PNIPAM is easily adjusted by optimizing the structure of the molecular chains, including compositing or grafting other polymer chains, such as polyacrylic acid (PAA), polyacrylamide (PAM), or polyethylene glycol (PEG). Such regulation of PNIPAM molecular chains will in turn improve the comprehensive properties of PNIPAM, including its mechanical properties, adhesion properties, and biocompatibility, resulting in a suitable candidate for application as a wound temperature monitor.…”

Synthesis and Evaluation of Antifungal and Antibacterial Abilities of Carbon Nanotubes Grafted to Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) Nanocomposites

“…PHEMA is a non-biodegradable, hydrophilic, stimuli-responsive, and optically transparent polymer, and it has been used extensively in the biomedical field. Its applications include hydrogel contact lenses [ 2 ], cancer therapy [ 3 ], bone tissue regeneration [ 4 ], wound healing [ 5 ], neural tissue engineering [ 6 ], and controlled drug delivery systems [ 7 ].…”