Wound healing properties of triple cross-linked poly (vinyl alcohol)/ methacrylate kappa-carrageenan/chitooligosaccharide hydrogel

To develop an effective and mechanically robust wound dressing, a poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/methacrylate kappa-carrageenan (ic-CaMA) composite hydrogel encapsulated with a chitooligosaccharide (COS) was prepared in a cassette via repeated freeze/thaw cycles, photo-crosslinking, and chemical cross-linking. The chemical, physical, mechanical, in vitro biocompatibility, in vivo wound-healing properties, and antibacterial activity of triple-crosslinked hydrogel were subsequently characterized. The results showed that the PVA/ic-CaMA/COS (PicCaC) hydrogel had a uniformly thick, highly porous three-dimensional architecture with uniformly distributed pores, a high fluid absorption, and retention capacity without disturbing its mechanical stability, and good in vitro biocompatibility. Macroscopic images from the full-thickness skin wound model revealed that the wounds dressed with the proposed Pic-CaC hydrogel were completely healed by day 14, while the histomorphological results confirmed full re-epithelization and rapid skin-tissue remodeling. This study thus indicates that the composite Pic-CaC hydrogel has significant potential for use as a wound dressing.