Exploring the Impact of Alginate—PVA Ratio and the Addition of Bioactive Substances on the Performance of Hybrid Hydrogel Membranes as Potential Wound Dressings

Abstract

Healthcare professionals face an ongoing challenge in managing both acute and chronic wounds, given the potential impact on patients’ quality of life and the limited availability of expensive treatment options. Hydrogel wound dressings offer a promising solution for effective wound care due to their affordability, ease of use, and ability to incorporate bioactive substances that enhance the wound healing process. Our study aimed to develop and evaluate hybrid hydrogel membranes enriched with bioactive components such as collagen and hyaluronic acid. We utilized both natural and synthetic polymers and employed a scalable, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly production process. We conducted extensive testing, including an in vitro assessment of moisture content, moisture uptake, swelling rate, gel fraction, biodegradation, water vapor transmission rate, protein denaturation, and protein adsorption. We evaluated the biocompatibility of the hydrogel membranes through cellular assays and performed instrumental tests using scanning electron microscopy and rheological analysis. Our findings demonstrate that the biohybrid hydrogel membranes exhibit cumulative properties with a favorable swelling ratio, optimal permeation properties, and good biocompatibility, all achieved with minimal concentrations of bioactive agents.

Formulation and Comprehensive Evaluation of Biohybrid Hydrogel Membranes Containing Doxycycline or Silver Nanoparticles

“…The combination of natural and synthetic polymers in the production of wound dressings leads to a synergistic effect that enhances the material’s properties [ 72 ]. As shown in our previous work, polymer type, concentration, and the addition of bioactive compounds have the potential to significantly impact the properties of hydrogel membranes [ 60 ]. In this study, a combination of alginate and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was employed, alongside the inclusion of bioactive compounds like collagen and hyaluronic acid.…”

“…It has been shown that preventing protein denaturation by medicinal agents in vitro indicates an anti-inflammatory effect. The assays used BSA as a model protein and aspirin as a positive control, and determinations were performed at 280 nm [ 60 ]. It was observed that all hydrogel formulations present an anti-inflammatory activity, protecting BSA from denaturation ( Figure 12 ).…”

“…The biohybrid hydrogel membranes (HM) were prepared following the two-step crosslinking process previously described by Stan et al [ 60 ], as depicted in Figure 1 Briefly, to create the hydrogel membranes; PVA (Sigma-Aldrich, USA) was dissolved in distilled water. Separately, SA (VWR Chemicals, Belgium) and CaCl 2 (Sigma-Aldrich, USA) were dispersed in glycerol (Sigma-Aldrich, Germany), and then the suspension was added to warm distilled water containing doxycycline hyclate (Sigma-Aldrich, USA) in the concentrations mentioned in Table 1 .…”