Hyaluronic acid/alginate-based biomimetic hydrogel membranes for accelerated diabetic wound repair

The study aims to develop a new multifunctional biopolymer-based hydrogel membrane dressing by adopting a solvent casting method for the controlled release of cefotaxime sodium at the wound site. Sodium alginate enhances collagen production in the skin, which provides tensile strength to healing tissue. Moreover, the significance of extracellular molecules such as hyaluronic acid in the wound the healing cascade renders these biopolymers an essential ingredient for the fabrication of hydrogel membranes via physical crosslinking (hydrogen bonding). These membranes were further investigated in terms of their structure, and surface morphology, as well as cell viability analysis. A membrane with the most suitable characteristics was chosen as a candidate for cefotaxime sodium loading and in vivo analysis. Results show that the 3D porous nature of developed membranes allows optimum water vapor and oxygen transmission (>8.21 mg/mL) to divert excessive wound exudate away from the diabetic wound bed, MTT assay confirmed cell viability at more than 80%. In vivo results confirmed that the CTX-HA-Alg-PVA hydrogel group showed rapid wound healing with accelerated re-epithelization and a decreased inflammatory response. Conclusively, these findings indicate that CTX-HA-Alg-PVA hydrogel membranes exhibit a suitable niche for use as dressing membranes for healing of diabetic wounds.