Development and characterization of pectin/gelatin hydrogel membranes for wound dressing

Abstract

The present work deals with the development of pectin-gelatin (PEGE) hydrogel membranes for wound dressing applications. The prepared hydrogels were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, XRD spectroscopy, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) test and tensile strength test. Morphology and thermal stability of the membranes were analyzed by Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The swelling studies of the hydrogels were conducted in different pH buffer solutions (pH 1.4, 5.4, 7.4 and 9.4). FTIR spectra of the hydrogels indicated considerable lowering in usual -OH stretching vibration peak of pectin and gelatin, which suggests the development of probable intermolecular interactions between the two natural polymers. XRD study revealed the decrease in crystallinity of hydrogels as compared to parent pectin. The morphological analysis of the hydrogel revealed highly interconnected honeycomb type architecture with pore size ranging from 10 to 40 μm. It was found that increase in gelatin ratio significantly improves the porous nature of the membranes. TGA study showed the enhanced thermal stability of PEGE hydrogel as compared to reference pectin. Tensile strength (TS) and elongation at break (EB) was found to increase with gelatin content in the hydrogel membranes but further increase leads to decrease in TS and EB. The WVTR analysis of the membranes showed the moisture Int J Plast Technol (June 2011) 15(1):82-95 retentive properties indicating its possible use in moist wound care. The PEGE hydrogels were found to be cytocompatible with B16 melanoma cells.

Thermal and hydrolytic degradation of electrospun fish gelatin membranes

“…Studies on the thermal properties of gelatin showed that it exhibits three main thermal degradation steps, the first being attributed to water desorption, and the others associated with protein degradation [25,26]. Gelatin thermal degradation kinetics has an activation energy ( ) ranging between 175 and 275 kJ.mol -1 , the values increasing with the protein's molecular weight [25,27].…”

Composite Film of Chitosan Loaded Norfloxacin With Improved Flexibility and Antibacterial Activity for Wound Dressing Application

“…The water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) test was carried out using the method adapted from the previous study 20 . Briefly, films with dimension of 30 mm x 30 mm was cut and put as a cap of a glass vial with a diameter 16 mm containing 10 mL distilled water, followed by the system being weighed and recorded.…”

A novel electrospun membrane based on moxifloxacin hydrochloride/poly(vinyl alcohol)/sodium alginate for antibacterial wound dressings in practical application

“…An ideal wound dressing should control the water loss from a wound at an optimal rate (Mishra et al, 2011). The water vapor permeability of a wound dressing should prevent excessive dehydration as well as the build-up of exudates (Balakrishnan et al, 2005).…”