Vanillin based crosslinked films of CMCh-PVA for wound healing application

This paper deals with the fabrication and characterization of polymeric crosslinked films based on N,Ocarboxymethyl chitosan (CMCh) and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) using vanillin as crosslinking agent. The prepared film was characterised by FTIR, DSC, swelling index, hydrolytic degradation study, water vapour transmission study, tensile strength, and anti-bacterial study. Additionally, cytotoxicity and cell viability studies were also carried out using L929 mouse fibroblast cell lines. Further, an in-vitro wound healing scratch assay, and invivo study using an excision wound model were used to explore the potential of the optimised films. The mechanism of crosslinking was the formation of Schiff bases between vanillin and the amino group of CMCh and on the other side, hydrogen bond formation between the hydroxyl groups of vanillin and PVA. Furthermore, the presence of hydrogen bonding as well as the formation of new polymeric entity was detected by FTIR and DSC studies. Swelling study indicated that an increased concentration of CMCh improved the swelling index, reflecting its hydrophilic behavior. The hydrolytic degradation study showed that the films containing higher concentrations of CMCh had greater structural integrity. The film was found to encourage cellular proliferation at a concentration of 10 mg/mL. Further scratch assay results were found to encourage the migration of cells. Invivo wound healing studies indicated comparable healing potential of the optimised crosslinked film in comparison to the marketed formulation and much better healing when compared to control, CMCh and PVA films. Thus, the developed crosslinked CMCH-PVA film demonstrated several unique properties and can be further explored as a material for biomedical applications.

Automated summary

This study fabricated and characterized polymeric crosslinked films using N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCh) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with vanillin as crosslinking agent. The films exhibited good crosslinking structure, swelling behavior, and antimicrobial properties, as well as biocompatibility with cells. Both in-vitro and in-vivo studies demonstrated the potential of the films for wound healing. Therefore, the crosslinked CMCh-PVA film shows promise for biomedical applications.