Polyzwitterionic hydrogels as wound dressings with enzymatic debridement functionality for highly exuding wounds

Abstract Wound debridement is crucial for the proper wound care as it promotes the fast and efficient wound healing through removal of the necrotic tissue. The latter not only impairs the new healthy tissue formation but also increases the odor and the wound exudate, allowing in this way to bacteria and other harmful foreign invaders to spread and infect the wound. Hydrogels wound dressings are usually applied for promoting the autolytic wound debridement but this is slow and not very efficient process. On the other hand, the enzymatic debridement wound products are either ointments or gels and thus they are easily washed out when used for treating highly exuding wounds. This study is an attempt to combine the enzymatic debridement functionality with the high swelling ability of polyzwitterionic networks and to produce an innovative dressing with debridement functionality for highly exuding wounds’ healing. To this purpose, two polyzwitterionic hydrogels were synthesized, poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) and poly(carboxybetaine metahcrylate) ones, which were loaded with the protease Subtilisin DY for imparting debridement functionality. ZP hydrogels’ swelling ability and mechanical properties were shown to depend on their different propensity to physical network formation. Poly(carboxybetaine metahcrylate) hydrogels demonstrated better capacity for wound exudate absorption as well as for exerting higher enzymatic debridement activity. Both ZP hydrogels were shown to be non-cytotoxic which confirms their appropriateness for direct contact with the injured tissues. Thus, the newly developed ZP hydrogels demonstrate the potential to be used as new dressing materials with enzymatic debridement functionality for highly exuding wounds