Design and synthesis of hydrogel dressings made with guar gum to enhance antimicrobial and skin wound healing properties.

Abstract

<h4>Background</h4>Conventional gauze lacks antimicrobial properties and mobility, making it ineffective in treating skin wounds. Hydrogels, due to their excellent biocompatibility and softness, are considered ideal wound dressings.<h4>Methods</h4>Hydrogel dressings based on cationic guar gum (CGG) were constructed using (4-hydroxyphenylboronic acid) cysteamine as a crosslinker. The structure and morphology of the CGG hydrogels were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, experiments including in vitro antimicrobial testing, CCK-8 assays, live/dead cell staining, and animal model wound healing were conducted to evaluate the antimicrobial activity, safety, and wound healing efficiency of CGG hydrogels.<h4>Results</h4>The prepared CGG hydrogel exhibited a three-dimensional mesh structure. In vitro antimicrobial, CCK-8, and live/dead cell staining experiments demonstrated that the CGG hydrogel effectively inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus while showing no significant toxicity to human skin fibroblast cells (CCD-986sk), indicating good biocompatibility. Moreover, results from animal model wound healing experiments indicated that the CGG hydrogels possessed an ability to promote wound healing.<h4>Conclusion</h4>CGG hydrogels effectively inhibited bacterial growth and promoted wound healing, making them safe and effective dressings for skin wound treatment.