An innovative material that helps heal skin wounds

As part of groundbreaking research, scientists have succeeded in developing a new method that does not require special equipment and can be performed at room temperature in order to produce a basic hydrogel in five minutes, a material that can be used in any medical procedure designed to promote wound healing

[Translation by Dr. Moshe Nachmani]

In light of the increase in the number of the elderly and adolescent population, as well as due to the increase in the number of invasive surgeries these days, wound healing has become a medical field to which significant attention is focused. The complex physical processes involved in wound healing make this field both challenging and rewarding, if new methods and materials for more effective wound healing are indeed achieved. Now, as part of a new study, the findings of which were published long ago in the scientific journal Polymers for Advanced Technologies, a team of researchers from the University of Tokyo in Japan succeeded in developing an innovative material that could be applied in the field of wound healing. Effective treatment of wounds requires the preservation of optimal conditions that promote the regeneration of skin and tissues, that is, it is important to create an optimal physiological environment around the wound in order to promote the growth of new cells. Hydrogel-type materials provide many of these conditions, but they do not provide a basic environment. As part of the research, the scientists discovered that a type of material called 'hydrogel' is exceptionally useful for achieving such conditions thanks to its molecular structure. Hydrogels are cross-linked three-dimensional networks of polymers that can absorb water at a level of more than 95% of their original volume. Hydrogels composed of natural polymers can maximally adapt to the biological conditions of our skin and tissues, can absorb fluids from the wound, and continuously provide moisture into the wound, while creating a particularly suitable environment for wound healing.

One such natural polymer found in hydrogels used for dressing wounds is alginate, a carbohydrate derived from seaweed, and therefore very common in nature. The preparation of alginate clots is very simple and easy, but the duration of the mixture turning into a clot (coagulation time) is too fast, so it is difficult to control their production rate. Although methods designed to control this rate were developed in the past, achieving a low coagulation time, along with maintaining the transparency of the material, led to materials with a slightly acidic (pH = 4-6) or neutral (pH = 7) level. Slightly acidic conditions were considered in the scientific community, until recently, to have an advantage for wound healing, but a more recent study found that slightly basic conditions (pH=8-8.5) are better for promoting the growth of cells that "heal the skin", cells such as fibroblasts ) and keratinocytes (keratinocytes). This is the context that contributed to shaping the characteristics of the alginate hydrogel production method developed by the researchers. The main researcher explains: "We succeeded in preparing an innovative basic alginate hydrogel (pH 8.38-8.57) suitable for wound healing within a method that does not require special equipment and can be performed at room temperature. This, in addition to the fact that the hydrogel is formed within five minutes, make our innovative material ideal for possible use in any improved medical procedure for wound healing."

The researchers' method involves mixing calcium carbonate and potassium alginate, then adding carbonated water and leaving the mixture for five minutes until the finished clot is obtained. During this method, the acidity level is shifted to a basic level due to the fact that carbon dioxide present in the mixture evaporates at the end of the coagulation process. The process also ensures the transparent color of the clot, which in turn allows for a visual assessment of the wounds, thus helping to more accurately assess the healing progress. In addition, regardless of the amounts of the components in the mixture, the hydrogels obtained by this method have a particularly high water content - up to 99%. When the researchers placed their hydrogel in physiological saline, it passed the test for another vital requirement in the field of wound dressing: the ability to absorb fluids secreted from the wound. The researchers are hopeful about possible additional applications of their method beyond wound healing, the researcher adds. "In the future, if it is possible to control the controlled release of a drug inside the hydrogel, this innovative material can also be used as a particularly effective drug carrier." Now, the researchers' next step is to evaluate the level of vitality and effectiveness of the innovative material in living cells and animal models. 

Article Summary    The news about the study  

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