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Ribeiro M, Simões M, Vitorino C, Mascarenhas-Melo F. Hydrogels in Cutaneous Wound Healing: Insights into Characterization, Properties, Formulation and Therapeutic Potential. Gels 2024; 10:188. [PMID: 38534606 DOI: 10.3390/gels10030188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Hydrogels are polymeric materials that possess a set of characteristics meeting various requirements of an ideal wound dressing, making them promising for wound care. These features include, among others, the ability to absorb and retain large amounts of water and the capacity to closely mimic native structures, such as the extracellular matrix, facilitating various cellular processes like proliferation and differentiation. The polymers used in hydrogel formulations exhibit a broad spectrum of properties, allowing them to be classified into two main categories: natural polymers like collagen and chitosan, and synthetic polymers such as polyurethane and polyethylene glycol. This review offers a comprehensive overview and critical analysis of the key polymers that can constitute hydrogels, beginning with a brief contextualization of the polymers. It delves into their function, origin, and chemical structure, highlighting key sources of extraction and obtaining. Additionally, this review encompasses the main intrinsic properties of these polymers and their roles in the wound healing process, accompanied, whenever available, by explanations of the underlying mechanisms of action. It also addresses limitations and describes some studies on the effectiveness of isolated polymers in promoting skin regeneration and wound healing. Subsequently, we briefly discuss some application strategies of hydrogels derived from their intrinsic potential to promote the wound healing process. This can be achieved due to their role in the stimulation of angiogenesis, for example, or through the incorporation of substances like growth factors or drugs, such as antimicrobials, imparting new properties to the hydrogels. In addition to substance incorporation, the potential of hydrogels is also related to their ability to serve as a three-dimensional matrix for cell culture, whether it involves loading cells into the hydrogel or recruiting cells to the wound site, where they proliferate on the scaffold to form new tissue. The latter strategy presupposes the incorporation of biosensors into the hydrogel for real-time monitoring of wound conditions, such as temperature and pH. Future prospects are then ultimately addressed. As far as we are aware, this manuscript represents the first comprehensive approach that brings together and critically analyzes fundamental aspects of both natural and synthetic polymers constituting hydrogels in the context of cutaneous wound healing. It will serve as a foundational point for future studies, aiming to contribute to the development of an effective and environmentally friendly dressing for wounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Ribeiro
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- CISUC-Center for Informatics and Systems, University of Coimbra, Pinhal de Marrocos, 3030-290 Coimbra, Portugal
- Coimbra Chemistry Centre, Institute of Molecular Sciences-IMS, Department of Chemistry, University of Coimbra, 3000-535 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Marco Simões
- CISUC-Center for Informatics and Systems, University of Coimbra, Pinhal de Marrocos, 3030-290 Coimbra, Portugal
- CIBIT-Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research, University of Coimbra, Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Carla Vitorino
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Coimbra Chemistry Centre, Institute of Molecular Sciences-IMS, Department of Chemistry, University of Coimbra, 3000-535 Coimbra, Portugal
- CIBIT-Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research, University of Coimbra, Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Filipa Mascarenhas-Melo
- Higher School of Health, Polytechnic Institute of Guarda, Rua da Cadeia, 6300-307 Guarda, Portugal
- REQUIMTE/LAQV, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
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Yamauchi H, Inayama S, Nakabayashi M, Hayashi S. Systematic Order-Made Synthesis of Sequence-Defined Polyurethanes with Length, Types, and Topologies. ACS Macro Lett 2023; 12:1264-1271. [PMID: 37656889 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.3c00469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
Polyurethanes are industrially and academically important as soft materials. They are conventionally synthesized by a process based on step-growth polymerization; thus, molecular weight and structural control are impossible. However, the development of a synthetic strategy for polyurethanes remains a big challenge in designing soft materials. Herein, we demonstrate a synthetic methodology for generating polyurethanes with selectable lengths and termini characteristics. The multistep synthetic process offered the systematic synthesis of high-molecular weight, regioregular, and α,ω-urethane telechelics. Various oligomers with order-made repeating units revealed the effective length of the polymer properties. To demonstrate the scope of our methodology, it was also applied to the synthesis of block co-oligomers, three-armed star oligomers, and miktoarm star co-oligomers. Thus, our method allows the synthesis of high-molecular-weight oligomers with complete structural and molecular weight control, which is of enormous value to materials science; particularly the study and application of structure-property relationships in polyurethanes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruka Yamauchi
- School of Engineering Science, Kochi University of Technology, 185 Tosayamada Miyanokuchi, Kami, Kochi 782-8502, Japan
| | - Syunya Inayama
- School of Engineering Science, Kochi University of Technology, 185 Tosayamada Miyanokuchi, Kami, Kochi 782-8502, Japan
| | - Mahiro Nakabayashi
- School of Engineering Science, Kochi University of Technology, 185 Tosayamada Miyanokuchi, Kami, Kochi 782-8502, Japan
| | - Shotaro Hayashi
- School of Engineering Science, Kochi University of Technology, 185 Tosayamada Miyanokuchi, Kami, Kochi 782-8502, Japan
- Research Center for Molecular Design, Kochi University of Technology, Kami, Kochi 782-8502, Japan
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Song X, He S, Zheng J, Yang S, Li Q, Zhang Y. One-Step Construction of Tryptophan-Derived Small Molecule Hydrogels for Antibacterial Materials. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28083334. [PMID: 37110568 PMCID: PMC10141015 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28083334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Amino acid-based hydrogels have received widespread attention because of their wide range of sources, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. Despite considerable progress, the development of such hydrogels has been limited by critical problems such as bacterial infection and complex preparation. Herein, by using the non-toxic gluconolactone (GDL) to adjust the pH of the solution to induce the rapid self-assembly of N-[(benzyloxy)carbonyl]-L-tryptophan (ZW) to form a three-dimensional (3D) gel network, we developed a stable and effective self-assembled small-molecule hydrogel. Characterization assays and molecular dynamics studies indicate that π-π stacking and hydrogen bonding are the main drivers of self-assembly between ZW molecules. In vitro experiments further confirmed this material's sustained release properties, low cytotoxicity, and excellent antibacterial activity, particularly against Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus. This study provides a different and innovative perspective for the further development of antibacterial materials based on amino acid derivatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianwen Song
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Micro & Nano Materials Interface Science, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Shunmei He
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Micro & Nano Materials Interface Science, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Jun Zheng
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Micro & Nano Materials Interface Science, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Shutong Yang
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Micro & Nano Materials Interface Science, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Qiang Li
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Micro & Nano Materials Interface Science, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Micro & Nano Materials Interface Science, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
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Multitasking smart hydrogels based on the combination of alginate and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) properties: A review. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 219:312-332. [PMID: 35934076 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), a very stable and biocompatible conducting polymer, and alginate (Alg), a natural water-soluble polysaccharide mainly found in the cell wall of various species of brown algae, exhibit very different but at the same complementary properties. In the last few years, the remarkable capacity of Alg to form hydrogels and the electro-responsive properties of PEDOT have been combined to form not only layered composites (PEDOT-Alg) but also interpenetrated multi-responsive PEDOT/Alg hydrogels. These materials have been found to display outstanding properties, such as electrical conductivity, piezoelectricity, biocompatibility, self-healing and re-usability properties, pH and thermoelectric responsiveness, among others. Consequently, a wide number of applications are being proposed for PEDOT-Alg composites and, especially, PEDOT/Alg hydrogels, which should be considered as a new kind of hybrid material because of the very different chemical nature of the two polymeric components. This review summarizes the applications of PEDOT-Alg and PEDOT/Alg in tissue interfaces and regeneration, drug delivery, sensors, microfluidics, energy storage and evaporators for desalination. Special attention has been given to the discussion of multi-tasking applications, while the new challenges to be tackled based on aspects not yet considered in either of the two polymers have also been highlighted.
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