Evaluation of the behaviour of hydrogels containing mesoporous glasses doped with cerium and loaded with polyphenols

Hydrogel dressings are emerging as a promising option for the treatment of chronic wounds due to their tailorable functional properties, which can accelerate the healing. These properties can be improved by the addition of fillers such as bioactive glasses (BGs), and among these, mesoporous glasses doped with cerium (Ce-MBGs) also loaded with polyphenols (Ce-MBGs-POLY) are of interest for their antioxidant properties and dissolution behavior. Here we report the synthesis and characterization of stable hydrogels with high water content and swelling ratio (80 %) containing Ce-MBGs or Ce-MBGs-POLY. These hydrogels show a fast and significant release of ions aimed at stimulating cellular functions and retain the excellent antioxidant properties of the fillers. The new composites are thus promising starting points for the development of injectable hydrogels for chronic wound healing.