Development and Characterisation of Hemostatic Polymeric Hydrogel Membrane from Blends of Oppositely Charged Biopolymers as a Potential for Wound Healing

Background and Aim: The principal goal of wound healing is to promptrecovery of damaged tissue. However, these materials predominantlyundergo degradation under physiological environment. Therefore, thecrosslinking formed between two oppositely charged polymers leadsto the formation of a polymeric membrane stabilized polyelectrolytecomplex. The aim of this study is to develop a novel oppositely chargedbiopolymers composed of chitosan (CS) and κ-carrageenan (KC) withadjustable hemostatic, mechanical, and biological properties for woundhealing application.Methods: Hydrogel membranes with various volume ratios of CS:KC(10:90, 20:80, and 30:70) were prepared using a gel casting technique.Primarily, separate CS and KC aqueous solutions with the concentrationof 1.5 wt.% were prepared in water+10 v/v% acetic acid and water,respectively. After stirring at 60°C for 3 h, pH of the KC and CS solution7.5 and 5.5, respectively. Then, two solutions were mixed at the variousvolume ratio of at room temperature for 2 h to get a homogenoussolution. Finally, after degassing, the suspensions were transferred intoPetri-dish and maintained for 72 h to be completely polymerized. Toevaluate kinetic clotting property, the membranes (n=3) were placed atthe small vials containing diluted blood and was kept in the incubator at37°C. Tensile properties of the samples were determined by a HounsfieldH25KS tensile tester. The cytotoxicity of membranes was considered byMTT assay using human dermal fibroblasts.Results: Result of blood clotting test revealed that the absorption value ofthe hemolyzed blood solution in contact with all samples reduced withincreasing time. It is due to the fact that a negatively charged surfaceis known to activate factor XII and platelet factor 3 initiating a series ofproteolytic reactions that lead to intrinsic blood coagulation. The maindisadvantage of hydrogels in the wound healing process is impropermechanical stability and weak mechanical strength. The electrostatic forceformed between two oppositely charged biopolymer lead to enhancemechanical strength 3-folded for CS:KC (20:80). Afterward, the strengthdecreased 1.7-folded due to the high amount of KC. Moreover, the proliferation of human dermal fibroblast cells seeded on the membranegradually enhanced from day 1 to day 7. This observation reflectedthe cell-compatibility of the membranes and confirmed nontoxicity ofcrosslinking treatment. After 7 days of culture, the cell viability of cells onCS:KC (20:80) membrane enhance 2.5 folded more than day 1.Conclusion: The aim of this study was to prepare a novel oppositelycharged membrane of chitosan and κ-carrageenan and study the effectsof KC concentration on the hemostatic, mechanical and biologicalproperties of the membranes. Results confirmed that the blending ofCS:KC (20:80) with oppositely charged network significantly enhancethe hemostatic a mechanical properties of the membranes. Moreover, itwas found that CS:KC (20:80) membranes are nontoxic toward humanfibroblast skin cells. Our results suggest that CS:KC membrane couldbe an ideal biomaterial for wound healing applications at the optimalconcentration of 20:80.

کلیدواژه ها:

Oppositely charged ، κ-carrageenan ، Chitosan ، Wound ، Hemostatic