Preparation of Ion2+-COS/SA Multifunctional Gel Films for Skin Wound Healing by an In Situ Spray Method

The rapid preparation of safe and efficient wound dressings that meet the needs of the entire repair process remains a major challenge for effective therapeutic wound healing. Natural, sprayable Ion²⁺-COS/SA multifunctional dual-network gel films created by the in situ coordination of chitooligosaccharide (COS), metal ions and sodium alginate (SA) using casting and an in-situ spray method were synthesized. The gel films exhibited excellent physicochemical properties such as swelling, porosity and plasticity at a COS mass fraction of 3%. Furthermore, at this mass fraction, the addition of bimetallic ions led to the display of multifunctional properties, including significant antioxidant, antibacterial and cytocompatibility properties. In addition, experiments in a total skin defect model showed that this multifunctional gel film accelerates wound healing and promotes skin regeneration. These results suggest that the sprayable Ion²⁺-COS/SA multifunctional pro-healing gel film may be a promising candidate for the clinical treatment of allodermic wounds.

Multifunctional Gel Films of Marine Polysaccharides Cross-Linked with Poly-Metal Ions for Wound Healing

The development of an efficient and convenient material to improve skin tissue regeneration is a major challenge in healthcare. Inspired by the theory of moist wound healing, portable chitooligosaccharide (COS)/sodium alginate (SA) dual-net gel films containing multiple metal ions were prepared by a casting and in-situ spray method, which can be used to significantly promote wound healing without the use of therapeutic drugs. A variety of divalent cations was introduced in this experiment to improve the advantages of each metal ion by forming metal ion chelates with COS. Moreover, the physicochemical properties and antioxidant properties of nIon²⁺-COS/SA gel films were systematically characterized and evaluated by in vitro experiments. The gel films showed good antibacterial activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. In addition, the gel films showed good cytocompatibility in cellular experiments, and the gel films with Zn²⁺ and Sr²⁺ addition significantly accelerated wound healing in whole skin defect model experiments. Therefore, this nIon²⁺-COS/SA gel film is an ideal candidate material for wound dressing.