Hydrogel wound dressings based on chitosan and xyloglucan: Development and characterization

Xyloglucan is a polysaccharide isolated from chia seed gum (Salvia hispanica L.) and can act as a soluble fiber. In this investigation, several porous hydrogels were prepared from mixtures of chitosan and xyloglucan. To characterize these biomaterials, their mechanical, hydrophilic, structural, and morphological properties were measured, as well as their biodegradability and antimicrobial activity. The pore sizes of the porous hydrogels were 32.8–101.6 μm, and their water retention capacity is proportional to the added amount of xyloglucan. Dynamic degradation of the porous hydrogels with lysozymes showed progressive weight loss during the 14 days of testing. The mechanical properties improved slightly after the addition of xyloglucan. All of these results indicate that the incorporation of vegetable-derived polymers such as xyloglucan improves the properties of chitosan without affecting its antimicrobial capacity. Thus, biomaterials based on chitosan and xyloglucan are a promising option for the design of hydrogel wound dressings for medical applications. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47342.