Injectable Crosslinked Genipin Hybrid Gelatin–PVA Hydrogels for Future Use as Bioinks in Expediting Cutaneous Healing Capacity: Physicochemical Characterisation and Cytotoxicity Evaluation

Abstract

The irregular shape and depth of wounds could be the major hurdles in wound healing for the common three-dimensional foam, sheet, or film treatment design. The injectable hydrogel is a splendid alternate technique to enhance healing efficiency post-implantation via injectable or 3D-bioprinting technologies. The authentic combination of natural and synthetic polymers could potentially enhance the injectability and biocompatibility properties. Thus, the purpose of this study was to characterise a hybrid gelatin–PVA hydrogel crosslinked with genipin (GNP; natural crosslinker). In brief, gelatin (GE) and PVA were prepared in various concentrations (w/v): GE, GPVA3 (3% PVA), and GPVA5 (5% PVA), followed by a 0.1% (w/v) genipin (GNP) crosslink, to achieve polymerisation in three minutes. The physicochemical and biocompatibility properties were further evaluated. GPVA3_GNP and GPVA5_GNP with GNP demonstrated excellent physicochemical properties compared to GE_GNP and non-crosslinked hydrogels. GPVA5_GNP significantly displayed the optimum swelling ratio (621.1 ± 93.18%) and excellent hydrophilicity (38.51 ± 2.58°). In addition, GPVA5_GNP showed an optimum biodegradation rate (0.02 ± 0.005 mg/h) and the highest mechanical strength with the highest compression modulus (2.14 ± 0.06 MPa). In addition, the surface and cross-sectional view for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) displayed that all of the GPVA hydrogels have optimum average pore sizes (100–199 μm) with interconnected pores. There were no substantial changes in chemical analysis, including FTIR, XRD, and EDX, after PVA and GNP intervention. Furthermore, GPVA hydrogels influenced the cell biocompatibility, which successfully indicated >85% of cell viability. In conclusion, gelatin–PVA hydrogels crosslinked with GNP were proven to have excellent physicochemical, mechanical, and biocompatibility properties, as required for potential bioinks for chronic wound healing.

Characterization of Dual-Layer Hybrid Biomatrix for Future Use in Cutaneous Wound Healing

“…To support this statement, the porosity study was also conducted with ethanol. Due to its non-polar nature and lack of interaction with polymeric fibres, ethanol easily permeates the scaffold and fills all the sample’s holes, giving rise to the total volume of pores [ 55 ]. The CL/CL bilayer showed a lower percentage of porosity, supporting the statements above.…”

Design and Evaluation of Liposomal Sulforaphane-Loaded Polyvinyl Alcohol/Polyethylene Glycol (PVA/PEG) Hydrogels as a Novel Drug Delivery System for Wound Healing

“…Hydrogels are non-toxic and do not cause immune or inflammatory responses. These mentioned properties make them suitable as tissue mimetic hydrogels and also as drug delivery systems to the target tissue [ 4 , 5 ]. They can stay in situ for up to 3 days and the research findings indicated that synthetic hydrogels were non-cytotoxic on normal cells [ 6 , 7 , 8 ].…”

Expanding Quality by Design Principles to Support 3D Printed Medical Device Development Following the Renewed Regulatory Framework in Europe

“…Biomaterials such as collagen, hydrogels, and other fabricated materials are applied in bioprinting to directly build 3D tissue-like structures. Moreover, stem cells, cultured on hydrogel substrates, are also applied as bioinks for printing [ 75 , 76 ]. A range of functional characteristics, such as material strength, porosity, and network structure determine the quality of printed organs [ 77 ].…”