PVA/chitosan hydrogels funcionalized with tea tree oil for application as dressings

ABSTRACT

The investigation of new pharmaceutical forms for the treatment of burns represents an important technological advance in the area of tissue engineering. In this context, poli(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) and chitosan(CS) hydrogels functionalized with tea tree essential oil appear as promising excipients for use as dressings, seeking through a synergistic effect to obtain biomaterials with broad spectrum of biological action possible to accelerate and be efficient in the repair and healing of injured tissues such as burns. For this purpose, the present research aimed at the production and characterization of PVA/CS hydrogels in the proportions 1:1 and 1:2 (w/v), respectively, functionalized with 3% (v /v) of tea tree oil (OM) by the casting method, aiming at the application as dressings. The functionalized hydrogels were analyzed qualitatively by visual inspection and analyzed by swelling and wettability tests as well as characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). Upon visual inspection, most hydrogels were translucent, except for the PVA+3% OM hydrogel, which had excellent optical transparency. In general, the hydrogels had a superhydrophilic character and a good degree of swelling in the presence of fluids, distilled water and PBS, indicating that these hydrogels functionalized with tea tree oil are promising for application as dressings in the regeneration of injured tissues.

Keywords
biomaterials; essential oil; burns; healing; dressing