In situ gelling and dissolvable hydrogels for use as on-demand wound dressings for burns

Abstract

Currently, no dressings utilized in burn clinics provide adhesion, hydration or mechanical strength on the same order as human skin as well as the ability to be atraumatically removed. We report the synthesis, characterization, and in vivo evaluation of in situ polymerized and subsequent dissolvable hydrogels as burn wound dressings. Hydrogel dressings, from a small library of synthesized materials form in situ, exhibit storage moduli between 100–40 000 Pa, dissolve on-demand within 10 minutes to 90 minutes, swell up to 350%, and adhere to both burned and healthy human skin at 0.2–0.3 N cm⁻². Further, results from an in vivo porcine second degree burn model demonstrate functional performance with healing equivalent to conventional treatments with the added benefit of facile, in situ application and subsequent removal via dissolution.