Development and Characterization of Alginate-Derived Crosslinked Hydrogel Membranes Incorporated with ConA and Gentamicin for Wound Dressing Applications.

This work sought to develop and characterize alginate-based hydrogel membranes containing ConA and gentamicin for wound dressing applications. A rotational central composite design was applied to evaluate the influence of three variables (alginate, glycerol, calcium chloride) on the macroscopic quality of alginate-derived membranes. The samples with best quality were selected for incorporation of ConA and gentamicin and evaluation of antimicrobial action against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Following, the morphological, mechanical and physicochemical characteristics (thickness, humidity, roughness, color, water vapor sorption, cytocompatibility) of the membrane with higher antimicrobial effects were characterized. Among the seventeen alginate-based membranes, the samples 3, 4, 7 and 12 were selected based on their quality score. The sample 3 exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity. The incorporation of ConA did not change the microbial inhibition by gentamicin; however, ConA/gentamicin-loaded membranes showed better distribution of both compounds, in addition to greater roughness and transparency. The ConA/gentamicin-loaded membranes were also more efficient for absorption of liquids and vapors without showing cytotoxicity. The results obtained by ConA/gentamicin-loaded membranes reveals promising perspectives in the treatment of skin lesions, demonstrating effective antimicrobial activity and encouraging the subsequent in vivo investigation of healing properties.