An injectable, self-healable, and antimicrobial hydroxypropyl chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel for drug delivery systems

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by bacteria, and topical medication is the most efficient way to treat it. Injectable hydrogels have been used in the treatment of periodontitis because of their injectability, excellent biocompatibility, and controlled drug-release properties. However, conventional injectable hydrogels lack self-healing properties or have weak mechanical properties, which render them unable to adapt to the intricate oral environment of periodontal tissues. Therefore, a double cross-linked network hydrogel was prepared in this study using poly(vinyl alcohol) and hydroxypropyl chitosan as substrates, and the properties of the hydrogels were evaluated by altering the concentration of poly(vinyl alcohol). Experimental evidence indicates that the hydrogels showed excellent biocompatibility, degradation performances, slow-release properties of the drug (168 h), and significant antibacterial efficacy against E. coli (86.18%) and S. aureus (85.69%). Additionally, the hydrogel exhibited favorable mechanical properties (18.20 KPa), self-healing capabilities, and injectability because of the synergistic interaction of multiple dynamic covalent bonds, which allowed it to adapt to the complex therapeutic conditions of the oral cavity. These excellent properties suggest that the hydrogel has the potential to be used as a drug carrier for periodontitis treatment.