Highly Porous and Superabsorbent Biomaterial Made of Marine-Derived Polysaccharides and Ascorbic Acid as an Optimal Dressing for Exuding Wound Management

Abstract

There are many modern wound dressings that have promising properties for repairing skin damage. However, due to various types of wounds and the problems they cause, there is still a great demand for new, effective healing strategies. The aim of this study was to create superabsorbent wound dressing made of marine-derived polysaccharides (agarose and chitosan) using the freeze-drying method. The secondary goal was its comprehensive evaluation for potential use as an external superabsorbent bandage for wounds with high exudation. Due to the well-known positive effect of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) on the healing process, biomaterial enriched with vitamin C was prepared and compared to the variant without the addition of ascorbic acid. It was shown that the produced foam-like wound dressing had a very porous structure, which was characterized by hydrophilicity, allowing a large amount of human fluids to be absorbed. According to in vitro tests on human fibroblasts, biomaterial was nontoxic and supportive to cell proliferation. Vitamin C-enriched dressing also had the ability to significantly reduce matrix metalloproteinase-2 production and to promote platelet-derived growth factor-BB synthesis by fibroblasts, which is desired during chronic wound treatment. The material has features of the eco-friendly wound care product since it was made of naturally-derived polysaccharides and was proved to be biodegradable. Importantly, despite degradable character, it was stable in the chronic and infected wound microenvironment, maintaining high integrity after 8-week incubation in the enzymatic solutions containing lysozyme and collagenases. The obtained results clearly showed that developed biomaterial possesses all necessary features of the external dressing for the management of exudate from both acute and chronic non-healing wounds.

Modern Wound Dressings: Hydrogel Dressings

“…Such dressings are used in the treatment of ulcers of the lower limbs and are indicated for I-II stage burns and I-IV stage pressure ulcers. It should be noted that these dressings are used only as primary ones due to the good permeability of polyurethane foam to water vapour [ 23 ]. However, the main disadvantages of dressings based on polyurethane foam are the need for frequent replacement and unsuitability for dry wounds and dry scars, since the effectiveness of these dressings directly depends on the course and severity of the exudative process.…”

Modifications of Wound Dressings with Bioactive Agents to Achieve Improved Pro-Healing Properties

“…The use of EO-derived compounds for the production of biomaterials mainly contributed to the increase of their antimicrobial activity and wound regeneration speed. Side effects and limitations related to the addition of EOs to the biomaterial were basically associated with a reduction in physicochemical and mechanical properties, decreasing mechanical strength, swelling degree, water vapor transmission rate, and material wettability [67][68][69][70][71][72][73]. Nevertheless, the rationality of using plant compounds is strictly dependent on the type of wound and treatment strategy, where giving preference to chosen properties requires some consideration.…”

“…Nevertheless, bioactive dressings are most often loaded with antibiotics to fight bacterial invasion or vitamins to support cell proliferation and stimulate wound healing mediators, accelerating the regeneration process. Moreover, vitamin-enriched dressings may reveal antioxidant properties, which are desired in the management of chronic wounds characterized by excessive ROS generation [72,73].…”

“…In our previous study, it was confirmed that the addition of vitamin C to a chitosan/agarose foam-like dressing supported fibroblast viability and proliferation. Furthermore, biomaterial with incorporated L-ascorbic acid supported PDGF-BB synthesis and had the ability to reduce MMP-2 production by skin fibroblasts [73]. Importantly, Voss et al [82] described a synergistic effect on the wound closure in a mouse model after application of the dressing material produced by combination of vitamin C and propolis.…”

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (THDC) Degrades Rapidly under Oxidative Stress but Can Be Stabilized by Acetyl Zingerone to Enhance Collagen Production and Antioxidant Effects

“…Topical AA delivery has been reported to improve some aspects of intrinsic skin aging [11][12][13], although stronger evidence supports a role for AA in the antioxidant-mediated prevention of extrinsic aging due to UV radiation exposure [14][15][16]. Further evidence has supported a role for topically-applied AA or AA-derivatives for treatment of wound healing and scar formation [17][18][19], allergic contact dermatitis [20], hyperpigmentation [21][22][23][24][25], atopic dermatitis [26,27], striae distensae [28], cutaneous malignancies [29][30][31], and psoriasis [32].…”