Fabrication of injectable, adhesive, self-healing, superabsorbent hydrogels based on quaternary ammonium chitosan and oxidized pullulan
Qian He,
Xiaoyue Ding,
Jun Deng,
Yanze Zhang,
Xiaoyi Wang,
Dan Zhan,
Oseweuba Valentine Okoro,
Lizhao Yan,
Armin Shavandi,
Lei Nie
Affiliations
Qian He
Emergency Department, Wuhan No.7 Hospital, Wuchang District, 430061, Wuhan, China
Xiaoyue Ding
College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University (XYNU), Xinyang, 464000, China
Jun Deng
Health Management and Physical Examination Department, Hubei Third People's Hospital, Jianghan University, Qiaokou district, 430030, Wuhan, China
Yanze Zhang
College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University (XYNU), Xinyang, 464000, China
Xiaoyi Wang
Department of Nutrition, Hubei Third People's Hospital, Jianghan University, Qiaokou district, 430030, Wuhan, China
Dan Zhan
Health Management and Physical Examination Department, Hubei Third People's Hospital, Jianghan University, Qiaokou district, 430030, Wuhan, China
Oseweuba Valentine Okoro
Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), École polytechnique de Bruxelles - BioMatter unit, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt, 50 - CP 165/61, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
Lizhao Yan
Department of Hand Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China; Corresponding author.
Armin Shavandi
Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), École polytechnique de Bruxelles - BioMatter unit, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt, 50 - CP 165/61, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
Lei Nie
College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University (XYNU), Xinyang, 464000, China; Corresponding author.
Injectable hydrogels, which are polymeric materials that are characterized by their ability to be injected in a liquid form into cavities and subsequently undergo in situ solidification, have garnered significant attention. These materials are extensively used in a range of biomedical applications. This study synthesized several injectable composite hydrogels through the mild Schiff base reaction while imposing different concentrations of quaternary ammonium chitosan and oxidized pullulan. Subsequent characterizations revealed a consistent and coherent porous structure within the hydrogels with smooth inner walls. The hydrogels were also determined to possess good adhesion, mechanical properties, self-healing ability, and injectability. Furthermore, antimicrobial tests against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus demonstrated antibacterial properties, which improved with increasing concentrations of quaternary ammonium chitosan. Co-culturing with skin fibroblasts demonstrated that the injectable hydrogels exhibited favourable biocompatibility and the capacity to boost cellular activity, thus underscoring its potential for use in biomedical applications.
