Facile and large-scale synthesis of curcumin/PVA hydrogel: effectively kill bacteria and accelerate cutaneous wound healing in the rat

Abstract

The complicated synthesis procedure and limited preparation size of hydrogel inhibit its clinical application. Therefore, a facile preparation method for large-size hydrogel is required. In this study, a series of curcumin (Cur)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel in a large size with different Cur concentrations is prepared by a facile physical-chemical crosslinking. The physicochemical properties, antibacterial performance and accelerating wound healing ability are evaluated with the aim of attaining a novel and effective wound dressing. The results show that the as-prepared hydrogel with the optimal Cur to PVA volume ratio of 1:5 (20% Cur/PVA) exhibits the best antibacterial abilities to E. coli (85.6%) and S. aureus (97%) than other hydrogels. When the volume ratio of Cur to PVA is 1:10 (10% Cur/PVA), the hydrogel can significantly accelerate the wound healing in rats, and successfully reconstruct intact and thickened epidermis during 14 day of healing of impaired wounds after histological examination. In one word, the present approach can shed new light on designing new type of hydrogels with promising applications in wound dressing.

Polymeric Biomaterials for Wound Healing Incorporating Plant Extracts and Extracellular Matrix Components

“…Biomaterials are constructed to promote or stimulate the processes of wound healing. For instance, hydrogels can be used to hydrate the wound and serve as barrier to pathogens; curcumin, zinc nanoparticles and antibacterial can also be incorporated to stimulate the healing process [7,8]. Polyethylene glycol when combined with polymyxin B or alginate has antibacterial activity and promotes wound regeneration respectively [9].…”

“…Wound management also involve primary close by suturing, plastering or use of adhesives at first presentation to ensure proper healing [6]. The major objectives of wound care are to prevent infection, ensure proper wound closure and reduce scar formation [7].…”

PVA‐Based Hydrogels: Promising Candidates for Articular Cartilage Repair

“…reported a PVA hydrogel crosslinked by bifunctional cellulose nanofibers (BF‐CNF) [ 44 ] that has a similar linking mechanism to GA, specifically, crosslinking by aldehydes. Boric acid (BA) [ 45–47 ] or borax solution [ 48 ] is another common chemical cross‐linker, whose hydroxyl can react with hydroxyl on PVA or other polymers to form a carbon–oxygen single bond. Both BF‐CNF and BA crosslinked PVA hydrogels show satisfying biocompatibility during cell culture experiments.…”

Development and use of biomaterials as wound healing therapies

“…PVA is often used in medical applications as it is known for its anti-protein fouling properties and is relatively biologically inert [15]. PVA hydrogels for wound healing often include other materials to stimulate the wound healing response such as curcumin [16] or zinc oxide nanoparticles [17] for antibacterial properties, and phlorotannins, derived from brown algae, which have been shown to promote fibroblast migration [18]. A polymer similar to PVA, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), is also commonly used for the fabrication of hydrogels, where Polymyxin B conjugated to PEG [19] has been shown to be antibacterial, and when combined as a hybrid with alginate can promote wound regeneration [20].…”