Starch Based Hydrogel with Potential Biomedical Application as Artificial Skin

The wound is a biosynthetic environment in which numerous cellular processes are interlinked in the process of repair. Modern dressings are designed to facilitate wound healing rather than just to cover it. Hydrogel dressing can protect injured skin and keep it appropriately moist to speed the healing process by absorbing exudates while maintaining the products of tissue repair, including growth factor and lysosomes, in contact with the wound. The design and development of novel membrane of hydrogel prepared by crosslinking of polyvinyl alcohol with starch suspension using glutaraldehyde as a crosslinking agent was attempted. The membrane was characterized by FTIR spectroscopy. The mechanical property of the hydrogel membrane was characterized by tensile tests. The diffusion coefficient of salicylic acid through the membrane was also evaluated. FTIR spectra of the membrane indicated the absence of free aldehydic groups of glutaraldehyde. The membranes had sufficient strength. The diffusion coefficient of the analgesic drug salicylic acid, used as a model drug, in the prepared starch hydrogels has been measured using a diaphragm cell technique. At 30 °C, the measured value of the diffusion coefficient was approximately 5.03×10^-14 m²/s.