A thermosensitive hydrogel based arginine grafted chitosan and poloxamer 407 for wound healing

A thermosensitive hydrogel based on 6-deoxy-6-arginine grafted chitosan (DAC) and poloxamer 407 (P407) is prepared for wound repair. Since P407 is a thermosensitive polymer, the resultant DAC/P407-gel exhibits thermo-responsive sol–to–gel phase transition behaviors with a phase transition temperature (Tsol/gel) of ∼ 26.5 °C, making it an appropriate material for wound healing. The DAC/P407-gel has a three-dimensional (3D) network structure with large amounts of pores, and the good air permeability of the hydrogel makes it an attractive candidate as wound dressing. The introduction of DAC can not only increase the mechanical strength of the hydrogel but also significantly enhance its biological indexes including antibacterial activity, blood-clotting index (BCI) and hemocompatibility. The cytotoxicity test reveals that the developed DAC/P407-gel also shows outstanding cytocompatibility.