Antibiofilm poly(carboxybetaine methacrylate) hydrogels for chronic wounds dressings

Abstract The current study demonstrates the benefits of poly(carboxybetaine methacrylate) hydrogels in chronic wound healing. These hydrogels demonstrate high absorbing capacity upon swelling in salt solutions thus revealing great potential as dressings for highly exuding chronic wounds. Moreover, upon swelling they expand, increasing their volume by 25%, which makes them patient friendly ensuring also the proper wound healing. Poly(carboxybetaine methacrylate) hydrogels were also shown to absorb collagenase and myeloperoxidase, two enzymes that are specific for chronic wounds, reducing in this way their amount by 30-45 % in the wound bed without entirely inhibiting their activity, as the latter is necessary for the wound healing process. The hydrogels were also shown to be non-cytotoxic as well as to prevent the biofilm formation of S. Aureus. The in vivo implantation in rats showed no immune response to moderate immune reaction for both studied PCB hydrogels. Thus, the properties of the PCB networks revealed in the study demonstrate their potential as chronic wounds dressing materials.