A bioactive self-healing hydrogel wound-dressing based on Tragacanth gum: Structural and invitro biomedical investigations

The design and development of wound-dressing hydrogels with desirable therapeutic effects and proper mechanical and self-healing properties are crucial in the healthcare sector. This research aims to prepare a new self-healing hydrogel based on Tragacanth, polyvinyl alcohol, and borax to be used as a wound dressing, the hydrogel was first prepared through a simple and one-pot reaction. The efficiency of the resulting product was then assessed based on the rheological and self-healing tests as well as cellular tests on a mouse fibroblast cell line (L929) including toxicity and scratch tests as well as the investigation of the expression of TGFβ1, TGFβ2, and VEGF-A gens (using Real-time PCR). The synthesized hydrogel exhibited proper mechanical strength, high self-healing features, and no toxicity (cell viability >100 %). Rheological studies indicate that hydrogels with a higher borax content (PVA: B ratio of 5:1) exhibit a higher storage modulus across all frequencies. The presence of hydrogel improved the migration of the L929 cells and scratch healing. The hydrogel also caused a significant improvement in the expression of the growth factors of the genes (P < 0.001). Therefore, it can be concluded that the prepared wound dressing can actively contribute to wound healing, opening promising potentials in medical applications.