Efficient wound healing composite hydrogel using Egyptian Avena sativa L. polysaccharide containing β-glucan

The purpose of this study was to develop an efficient wound healing PVA-biopolymer composite hydrogel using the polysaccharide derived from Egyptian Avena sativa L. The prepared polysaccharide showed high β-glucan content which accelerates wound healing. The β-glucan content was 13.28% and GC analysis revealed that glucose was the major sugar component (71.19%). Different PVA-polysaccharide hydrogels combined with different polymers and loaded with 0.3% bacitracin zinc were developed using the freezing-thawing method. The used polymers were; polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), Carbopol 940 (CP), hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (Na CMC). The prepared hydrogels were characterized by determination of gel fraction, swelling ratio, mechanical and bioadhesive properties. The results revealed that hydrogels prepared using anionic (NaCMC and CP) and more hydrophilic (HEC) polymers showed better swelling ratio, bioadhesive and mechanical characters compared with hydrogels prepared using cationic (PVP) or less hydrophilic (HPMC) polymers. For two selected formulations containing HEC (F7) and NaCMC (F9), disk diffusion method and In vitro microbial penetration were performed for microbiological assessment. In addition, In vivo evaluation of the anti-inflammatory and wound healing activity compared with conventional products were performed on rats. The results showed higher anti-inflammatory activity of F7 (21.4% edema reduction) compared with F9 (19.8% edema reduction). Similarly, F7 showed better healing (99% relative wound size reduction) than F9 (75%). The current study revealed the potential of using the prepared Egyptian Avena sativa L. polysaccharide and HEC for development of an efficient wound healing dressing with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities.