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Volume 11
Issue 9
10.3390/gels11090674
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

CMC-Based Injectable Hydrogels Crosslinked by Diels–Alder Chemistry for Wound Healing Applications

by
Israr Ali
1,†,
Urwa Shahid
2,†,
Seon-Hwa Kim
2,
Suganthy Ramamoorthy
2,
Won Han
2,
Minseon Kim
2,
Vishal Gavande
3,
Won-Ki Lee
4,
Joong Ho Shin
2,5,
Sang-Hyug Park
2,5,* and
Kwon Taek Lim
1,6,*
1
Department of Smart Green Technology Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of Korea
2
Industry 4.0 Convergence Bionics Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of Korea
3
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Chair for Polymer Materials, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrucken, Germany
4
Department of Polymer Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of Korea
5
Major of Biomedical Engineering, Division of Smart Healthcare, College of Information Technology and Convergence, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of Korea
6
Institute of Display Semiconductor Technology, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of Korea
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Gels 2025, 11(9), 674; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11090674 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 31 July 2025 / Revised: 18 August 2025 / Accepted: 21 August 2025 / Published: 23 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Crosslinked Gels (2nd Edition))
Versions Notes

Abstract

Chronic wounds disrupt natural healing and tissue regeneration, posing a major challenge in healthcare. Conventional wound care often lacks effective drug delivery, tissue integration, infection control, and patient comfort. However, injectable hydrogels offer localized, minimally invasive treatment and conform to irregular wound shapes. This study presents carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-based injectable hydrogels, prepared via Diels–Alder click chemistry using highly furan functionalized CMC (45%) and a bismaleimide crosslinker. The hydrogels showed a rapid gelation time (<490 s) under physiological conditions. The hydrogel exhibited favorable physicochemical and mechanical properties, as well as sustained curcumin release (∼80% in 5 days). In vitro studies confirmed excellent biocompatibility with NIH3T3 fibroblasts and notable antibacterial activity against E. coli, supporting its potential for wound healing applications.
Keywords: carboxymethyl cellulose; injectable hydrogel; curcumin; drug release; wound healing carboxymethyl cellulose; injectable hydrogel; curcumin; drug release; wound healing

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Ali, I.; Shahid, U.; Kim, S.-H.; Ramamoorthy, S.; Han, W.; Kim, M.; Gavande, V.; Lee, W.-K.; Shin, J.H.; Park, S.-H.; et al. CMC-Based Injectable Hydrogels Crosslinked by Diels–Alder Chemistry for Wound Healing Applications. Gels 2025, 11, 674. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11090674

AMA Style

Ali I, Shahid U, Kim S-H, Ramamoorthy S, Han W, Kim M, Gavande V, Lee W-K, Shin JH, Park S-H, et al. CMC-Based Injectable Hydrogels Crosslinked by Diels–Alder Chemistry for Wound Healing Applications. Gels. 2025; 11(9):674. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11090674

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ali, Israr, Urwa Shahid, Seon-Hwa Kim, Suganthy Ramamoorthy, Won Han, Minseon Kim, Vishal Gavande, Won-Ki Lee, Joong Ho Shin, Sang-Hyug Park, and et al. 2025. "CMC-Based Injectable Hydrogels Crosslinked by Diels–Alder Chemistry for Wound Healing Applications" Gels 11, no. 9: 674. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11090674

APA Style

Ali, I., Shahid, U., Kim, S.-H., Ramamoorthy, S., Han, W., Kim, M., Gavande, V., Lee, W.-K., Shin, J. H., Park, S.-H., & Lim, K. T. (2025). CMC-Based Injectable Hydrogels Crosslinked by Diels–Alder Chemistry for Wound Healing Applications. Gels, 11(9), 674. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11090674

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