Open Access

ARTICLE

Thermosensitive and Wound-Healing Gelatin-Alginate Biopolymer Hydrogels Modified with Humic Acids

by Denis Miroshnichenko¹, Vladimir Lebedev², Katerina Lebedeva², Аnna Cherkashina², Sergey Petrushenko^3,4,*, Olena Bogoyavlenska¹, Аnzhela Olkhovska⁵, Ihor Hrubnyk⁶, Liudmyla Maloshtan⁶, Natalja Klochko⁷

1 The Department of Oil, Gas and Solid Fuel Refining Technologies, National Technical University «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute», Kharkiv, 61002, Ukraine
2 The Department of Plastics and Biologically Active Polymers Technology, National Technical University «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute», Kharkiv, 61002, Ukraine
3 Faculty of Physics, V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Kharkiv, 61000, Ukraine
4 Technical University of Liberec, Liberec, 46117, Czech Republic
5 The Department of Organizations and Management Healthcare and Social Medicine, National Technical University «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute», Kharkiv, 61002, Ukraine
6 The Common Pharmacy Department, National Technical University «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute», Kharkiv, 61002, Ukraine
7 Department of Micro- and Nanoelectronics, National Technical University «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute», Kharkiv, 61002, Ukraine

* Corresponding Author: Sergey Petrushenko. Email:

Journal of Renewable Materials 2024, 12(10), 1691-1713. https://doi.org/10.32604/jrm.2024.054769

Received 06 June 2024; Accepted 19 September 2024; Issue published 23 October 2024

Abstract

The main goal of the article is the creation and study of thermosensitive and wound-healing gelatin-alginate biopolymer hydrogels modified with humic acids. Their rheological properties, swelling and contraction behavior were experimentally investigated, elucidated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and used to achieve the physiological melting point, which is necessary for successful drug delivery. It has been shown that in the gelatin-alginate-humic acid biopolymer hydrogels systems, it is possible to obtain a gel-sol transition temperature close to the physiological temperature of 37°C, which is important for drug delivery in the treatment of wounds. By changing the type and concentration of humic acids in the gelatin-alginate hydrogel, it turned out to be achievable to regulate the softening time of the gel on the human body in the range from 6 to 20 min, which provides the possibility of controlled prolonged delivery of drugs. Based on the study of the influence of calcium ions on the properties of humic acids and ion exchange, as well as the interaction of humic acids, sodium alginate and gelatin with the formation of tighter gel networks, approaches to regulate the rate of softening of hydrogels at physiological temperature and their swelling, which simulates the absorption of exudate, were proposed and implemented. In addition, low shrinkage of the hydrogel surface due to cross-linking of gelatin-alginate networks when modified with humic acids was experimentally confirmed, which is important for avoiding problems of wound contracture and contour deformations when using dressings for wound healing. Thus, the developed optimized innovative biopolymer hydrogels synergistically combine the outstanding properties of natural molecular polymers and humic acids and are promising for the creation of effective medicines for wound healing.

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