Influence of radiation crosslinked carboxymethyl-chitosan/gelatin hydrogel on cutaneous wound healing

• The hydrogels were prepared by a facile and green method, radiation crosslinking.
• The biodegradability and mechanical strength can be regulated by composition.
• The hydrogels promote fibroblasts proliferation and neovascularization.
• The hydrogels lead to earlier tissue granulation and re-epithelialization.
• The hydrogels are ideal wound healing materials with excellent biocompatibility.

A series of carboxymethyl chitosan (CM-chitosan) and gelatin hydrogels were prepared by radiation crosslinking. A pre-clinical study was performed by implantation model and full-thickness cutaneous wound model in Sprague–Dawley rats to preliminarily evaluate the biocompatibility, biodegradability and effects on healing. In the implantation test, as a component of the hydrogels, CM-chitosan showed a positive effect on promoting cell proliferation and neovascularization, while gelatin was efficient to stabilize the structure and prolong the degradation time. To evaluate the function on wound healing, the hydrogels were applied to the relatively large full-thickness cutaneous wounds (Φ3.0 cm). Compared with the control groups, the hydrogel group showed significantly higher percentage of wound closure on days 9, 12 and 15 postoperatively, which was consistent with the significantly thicker granulation tissue on days 3 and 6. All results apparently revealed that the radiation crosslinked CM-chitosan/Gelatin hydrogels could induce granulation tissue formation and accelerate the wound healing.

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