Pharmaceutics (Mar 2023)

H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>-PLA-(Alg)<sub>2</sub>Ca Hydrogel Enriched in Matrigel<sup>®</sup> Promotes Diabetic Wound Healing

  • Alexandra Cătălina Bîrcă,
  • Cristina Chircov,
  • Adelina Gabriela Niculescu,
  • Herman Hildegard,
  • Cornel Baltă,
  • Marcel Roșu,
  • Bianca Mladin,
  • Oana Gherasim,
  • Dan Eduard Mihaiescu,
  • Bogdan Ștefan Vasile,
  • Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu,
  • Ecaterina Andronescu,
  • Anca Oana Hermenean

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15030857
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 3
p. 857

Abstract

Read online

Hydrogel-based dressings exhibit suitable features for successful wound healing, including flexibility, high water-vapor permeability and moisture retention, and exudate absorption capacity. Moreover, enriching the hydrogel matrix with additional therapeutic components has the potential to generate synergistic results. Thus, the present study centered on diabetic wound healing using a Matrigel-enriched alginate hydrogel embedded with polylactic acid (PLA) microspheres containing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The synthesis and physicochemical characterization of the samples, performed to evidence their compositional and microstructural features, swelling, and oxygen-entrapping capacity, were reported. For investigating the three-fold goal of the designed dressings (i.e., releasing oxygen at the wound site and maintaining a moist environment for faster healing, ensuring the absorption of a significant amount of exudate, and providing biocompatibility), in vivo biological tests on wounds of diabetic mice were approached. Evaluating multiple aspects during the healing process, the obtained composite material proved its efficiency for wound dressing applications by accelerating wound healing and promoting angiogenesis in diabetic skin injuries.

Keywords