Development of a Self-Adhesive Cellulosic Hydrogel Wound Dressing

Abstract

In this study, a self-adhesive hydrogel wound dressing was developed by combining hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) hydrogel with a tannic acid-polyethylene glycol (TAPE) adhesive bioadhesive with gelatin. Test samples of the cellulosic wound dressing were prepared with three (3) different mixing ratios of the crosslinking solution, three (3) different adhesive formulation, and two different hydrogel/adhesive contact area (flat, ridged). Adhesion performances of these samples on porcine skin were evaluated by performing a T-peel test. Analysis of the HEC/TAPE-gelatin interface showed that the HEC cross-linking agent formulation, adhesive thickness, and presence of surface ridges showed significant three-way interaction effects, and these parameters were modeled using orthogonal polynomials and optimized via response surface methodology (RSM). The adhesion on the HEC-TAPE-gelatin interface was also investigated further using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), where it had been observed that greater adhesion occurred with a decrease in cross-linking density, thinner adhesive layer, and the presence of ridges. Lastly, disk diffusion testing indicated greater antimicrobial activity (mean inhibition zone = 12 mm) against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa in contrast to commercial hydrogel dressings (mean inhibition zone = 7.5 mm), while MTT assay on human lymphocytes resulted to a 98% cell survival rate. Based on these results, it was concluded that it is feasible to use HEC hydrogel with TAPE-gelatin adhesive for manufacturing self-adhesive wound dressing products.