Chitosan and Cellulose-Based Hydrogels for Wound Management

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 21; no. 24; p. 9656
• Main Authors: Alven, Sibusiso, Aderibigbe, Blessing Atim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 18.12.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Animals; Antibacterial agents; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Biocompatibility; Biodegradability; Biological properties; Biopolymers; Biopolymers - chemistry; burn wounds; Burns - etiology; Burns - therapy; Cellulose; Cellulose - chemistry; Chitosan; Chitosan - chemistry; Clinical Trials as Topic; Collagen; Crosslinking; Diabetes Complications; diabetic wounds; Exudation; Foams; Granulation; Growth factors; Humans; Hyaluronic acid; hydrogel; Hydrogels; Hydrogels - chemistry; Inflammation; Mechanical properties; Medical dressings; Medical materials; Moisture content; Nanofibers; Physicochemical properties; Polymers; Review; Ulcers; Water content; wound dressings; Wound Healing; Wounds and Injuries - etiology; Wounds and Injuries - therapy; chitosan; burn wounds; cellulose; hydrogel; wound dressings; diabetic wounds; acute wounds; chronic wounds
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms21249656

Wound management remains a challenge worldwide, although there are several developed wound dressing materials for the management of acute and chronic wounds. The wound dressings that are currently used include hydrogels, films, wafers, nanofibers, foams, topical formulations, transdermal patches, sponges, and bandages. Hydrogels exhibit unique features which make them suitable wound dressings such as providing a moist environment for wound healing, exhibiting high moisture content, or creating a barrier against bacterial infections, and are suitable for the management of exuding and granulating wounds. Biopolymers have been utilized for their development due to their non-toxic, biodegradable, and biocompatible properties. Hydrogels have been prepared from biopolymers such as cellulose and chitosan by crosslinking with selected synthetic polymers resulting in improved mechanical, biological, and physicochemical properties. They were useful by accelerating wound re-epithelialization and also mimic skin structure, inducing skin regeneration. Loading antibacterial agents into them prevented bacterial invasion of wounds. This review article is focused on hydrogels formulated from two biopolymers-chitosan and cellulose-for improved wound management.