An Injectable Chitosan-Based Self-Healable Hydrogel System as an Antibacterial Wound Dressing

Abstract

Due to their biodegradability and biocompatibility, chitosan-based hydrogels have great potential in regenerative medicine, with applications such as bacteriostasis, hemostasis, and wound healing. However, toxicity and high cost are problems that must be solved for chitosan-based hydrogel crosslinking agents such as formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, and genipin. Therefore, we developed a biocompatible yet cost-effective chitosan-based hydrogel system as a candidate biomaterial to prevent infection during wound healing. The hydrogel was fabricated by crosslinking chitosan with dialdehyde chitosan (CTS–CHO) via dynamic Schiff-base reactions, resulting in a self-healable and injectable system. The rheological properties, degradation profile, and self-healable properties of the chitosan-based hydrogel were evaluated. The excellent antibacterial activity of the hydrogel was validated by a spread plate experiment. The use of Live/Dead assay on HEK 293 cells showed that the hydrogel exhibited excellent biocompatibility. The results demonstrate that the newly designed chitosan-based hydrogel is an excellent antibacterial wound dressing candidate with good biocompatibility.

Enhanced Skin Performance of Emulgel vs. Cream as Systems for Topical Delivery of Herbal Actives (Immortelle Extract and Hemp Oil)

“…Compared to nano-vesicular structures such as liposomes and niosomes, emulgels offer better loading capacity due to networks formed by a gelling agent, and are also easier to prepare, since their production does not require special equipment [17]. The benefits of releasing active substances from emulgels have been investigated in many studies, which has led to the wide application of emulgels in the medical and cosmetic field [29][30][31][32][33][34][35].…”

Progress in Antibacterial Hydrogel Dressing

“…The primary raw materials for the hydrogel preparation are chitosan and aldehyde chitosan. Due to the antibacterial activity of chitosan and aldehyde chitosan in the hydrogel network, the hydrogel system can significantly inhibit the growth of bacteria upon contact, making it an excellent candidate for antibacterial wound dressing [ 159 ]. Zhang et al developed a new antibacterial hydrogel wound dressing composed of poly(aminoethyl) modified chitosan (PAEMCS).…”

Efficiency of Multifunctional Antibacterial Hydrogels for Chronic Wound Healing in Diabetes: A Comprehensive Review

“…The results showed that the antibacterial properties of chitosan and aldehyde chitosan exhibited in the hydrogel system significantly impaired bacterial growth upon contact. 85 However, the antibacterial mechanism of chitosan and its derivatives is still not clear. There is a generally accepted theory that the large number of positively charged amino groups in their molecular structure plays a vital role, they can also absorb bacteria and enter bacterial cells to inhibit bacterial growth by interfering with the transcription of bacterial DNA and block the absorption of trace elements and nutrients necessary for cell growth.…”