Pterostilbene loaded poly(vinyl alcohol)-gelatin cryogels as potential bioactive wound dressing material

Cryogels are support materials which are good at mimicking extracellular matrix due to their excellent hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, and macroporous structure, thus they are useful in facilitating cell activities during healing process. In this study, polyvinyl alcohol-gelatin (PVA-Gel) based cryogel membranes loaded with pterostilbene (trans-3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxystilbene; PTS) (PVA-Gel/PTS) was synthesized as wound dressing materials. PVA-Gel and PVA-Gel/PTS were synthesized with the polymerization yields of 96% +/- 0.23% and 98% +/- 0.18%, respectively, and characterized by swelling tests, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The swelling ratios were calculated as 98.6% +/- 4.93% and 102% +/- 5.1%, macroporosities were determined as 85% +/- 2.13% and 88% +/- 2.2%, for PVA-Gel and PVA-Gel/PTS, respectively. It was determined that PVA-Gel and PVA-Gel/PTS have 17 m(2)/g +/- 0.76 m(2)/g and 20 m(2)/g +/- 0.92 m(2)/g surface areas, respectively. SEM studies were demonstrated that they have similar to 100 mu m pore sizes. According to 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), trypan blue exclusion and live-dead assay results, it was observed that cell proliferation, cell number and cell viability were higher in PVA-Gel/PTS cryogel at 24, 48, and 72 h compared to PVA-Gel. A strong and transparent fluorescent light intensity was observed indicating higher cell population in PVA-Gel/PTS in comparison with PVAGel, according to 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining. SEM, F-Actin, Giemsa staining and inverted-phase microscope image of fibroblasts in PVA-Gel/PTS cryogels revealed that dense fibroblast proliferation and spindle-shaped morphology of cells were preserved. Moreover, DNA agarose gel data demonstrated that PVAGel/PTS cryogels had no effect on DNA integrity. Consequently, produced PVA-Gel/ PTS cryogel can be used as wound dressing material to promote wound therapies, inducing cell viability and proliferation.

Automated summary

In this study, PVA-Gel/PTS cryogel membranes were synthesized as wound dressing materials. The physicochemical properties of PVA-Gel and PVA-Gel/PTS were characterized, and cell experiments showed that PVA-Gel/PTS promoted cell proliferation and viability, indicating its potential application in wound healing.