Film-Based Hydrogel Designed as Functional Biomaterial for Treatment of Skin Wound ^†

Abstract

Multidrug-resistant bacteria can lead to skin wound infections, pain and long-term treatment. The development of high-performance dressings for the treatment of infected skin wounds represents a necessary requirement. In this paper it was designed and synthesized adhesive hydrogel films containing active agents such as hyaluronic acid (HA) and lidocaine, as local anesthetic. HA is an extremely effective and long-lasting moisturizer, biocompatible, with a regenerating effect, promoting the regeneration of damaged skin. lidocaine has been incorporated to relieve acute pain and improve patient comfort and endurance. Films without HA and lidocaine were also produced as control sample. The successful synthesis of films obtained at room temperature, from aqueous solutions, was also confirmed by Fourier transform infrared analysis, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron analysis. Water absorption, adhesion and mechanical strength of the films-based hydrogel are improved with the introduction of HA and lidocaine, leading to the rapid skin wound healing process. The obtained materials will be used as promising materials able to restore the structural and functional properties of the skin. Wet adhesive backing films with good adhesion to skin, encapsulating HA with different molecular weights and lidocaine were developed to explore their potential to be used as a patch for painless treatment and healing of skin wounds. The cytocompatibility studies confirmed that the obtained films-based hydrogel have demonstrated no cytotoxic effect.