A novel wound dressing material: Pullulan grafted copolymer hydrogel via UV copolymerization and crosslinking

This study presents the preparation and characterization of pullulan grafted copolymer hydrogel as a new wound dressing material. In this regard, pullulan grafted copolymer hydrogel (PGH) was prepared via UV copolymerization and crosslinking reactions of acrylic acid and itaconic acid onto pullulan. Ampicillin sodium salt loaded PGH was also prepared in the same manner with the addition of the drug in the reaction medium. In-vitro drug release experiments showed that 67% of the loaded drug was released from the PGHs after 7 days. Swelling studies performed at different pH conditions confirmed the high swelling capacities of PGHs (i.e., 700%). Besides, MTT assay showed that L929 cell viability could overpass 80% for PGHs. These results revealed that the prepared non-cytotoxic PGHs are promising candidates for wound dressing applications.