Cutting-edge biomaterials for advanced biomedical uses: self-gelation of l-arginine-loaded chitosan/PVA/vanillin hydrogel for accelerating topical wound healing and skin regeneration

Abstract

The self-gelation utilizes natural vanillin as a primary component of vanilla bean extract, and as a crosslinking agent for entangling chitosan–PVA hydrogels. This involves a Schiff-base reaction, where amino group of chitosan (CH) interacts with aldehyde group of vanillin (Van). The optimized formula of formed hydrogels is chosen based on achieving a well-balanced combination of self-healing capability, mechanical strength, sustained release profile, and hydrophilic tendency. The prepared hydrogel is thoroughly characterized using SEM and FTIR analyses, swelling ratio, hydrolytic rate assessment, and in vitro drug release profiling. CH–PVA–Van hydrogels demonstrate controlled drug release that is sustained for over 7 days. Furthermore, antimicrobial tests indicate strong activity of CH–PVA–Van–L-arginine against Gram-positive bacteria, compared to tested yeast or Gram-negative bacteria using multiple human pathogens. Subsequently, in vitro biological assays are conducted to confirm the effectiveness of the prepared hydrogel in promoting wound healing and bone regeneration through cytotoxicity assay and wound scratch assay. The composite hydrogels achieved 95% wound healing after 24 hours, attributed to the release of NO from the loaded L-Arg and its essential role in the wound healing process. Consequently, CH–PVA–Van hydrogels emerge as a promising system for loading L-arginine and exhibiting potential for biomedical applications with antibacterial efficacy.