Publicação
Production, characterization and in vitro evaluation of a ternary dermal skin substitute
| Resumo: | Skin wounds heal through a series of complex physiological processes triggered by injury to restore homeostasis. In developed countries, it is estimated that 1–2% of individuals will experience a chronic, non-healing wound at some point in their lives, presenting a significant global health challenge. Treating such injuries remains clinically difficult, as existing skin substitutes fail to promote the regeneration of extensively damaged skin. Limitations such as rapid degradation and the inability to fully replicate native tissue structure and function have driven researchers to explore improved solutions. In this study, four different hydrogels were developed using chitosan (CS), bovine gelatin (GEL), and hyaluronic acid (HA) in different combinations: CS-GEL, CS-HA, GEL-HA and CS-GEL-HA. Crosslinking was performed using EDC/NHS, followed by NaOH treatment to enhance stability. The hydrogels were characterized in terms of their morphology using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), water retention, swelling behaviour and degradation rates. Biocompatibility was assessed through cytotoxicity tests, while their potential for skin regeneration was evaluated by examining fibroblast adhesion and proliferation. The incorporation of the three polymerswas employed to achieve a composition resembling the extracellular matrix. The findings suggest that some hydrogels have potential as wound healing biomaterials due to their ability to maintain hydration, support fibroblast proliferation, and resist rapid degradation. Future studies will focus on optimizing the hydrogel formulation to enhance mechanical properties and investigating their performance in vivo wound healing models. |
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| Autores principais: | Marques, Diana Mendes |
| Assunto: | Hydrogels Natural polymers EDC-NHS fibroblasts skin tissue engineering |
| Ano: | 2025 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade Nova de Lisboa |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório Institucional da UNL |
| Resumo: | Skin wounds heal through a series of complex physiological processes triggered by injury to restore homeostasis. In developed countries, it is estimated that 1–2% of individuals will experience a chronic, non-healing wound at some point in their lives, presenting a significant global health challenge. Treating such injuries remains clinically difficult, as existing skin substitutes fail to promote the regeneration of extensively damaged skin. Limitations such as rapid degradation and the inability to fully replicate native tissue structure and function have driven researchers to explore improved solutions. In this study, four different hydrogels were developed using chitosan (CS), bovine gelatin (GEL), and hyaluronic acid (HA) in different combinations: CS-GEL, CS-HA, GEL-HA and CS-GEL-HA. Crosslinking was performed using EDC/NHS, followed by NaOH treatment to enhance stability. The hydrogels were characterized in terms of their morphology using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), water retention, swelling behaviour and degradation rates. Biocompatibility was assessed through cytotoxicity tests, while their potential for skin regeneration was evaluated by examining fibroblast adhesion and proliferation. The incorporation of the three polymerswas employed to achieve a composition resembling the extracellular matrix. The findings suggest that some hydrogels have potential as wound healing biomaterials due to their ability to maintain hydration, support fibroblast proliferation, and resist rapid degradation. Future studies will focus on optimizing the hydrogel formulation to enhance mechanical properties and investigating their performance in vivo wound healing models. |
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