Irradiation of crosslinked, poly(vinyl alcohol) blended hydrogel for wounddressing

In order to obtain a more ideal hydrogel wound dressing, crosslinked hydrog el films blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinyl pyrrolidone, kappa -carrageenan (KC), and powder silk were prepared by electron beam, and thei r physiochemical properties were investigated as a combination of function factors. The experimental results showed that the gel fraction of the hydro gel films depended mainly on irradiation dose and the monomer concentration of the polymers, the properties of hydrogel could be greatly extended or i mproved by blending homopolymers. The rate of gel formation of the hydro.-e l was raised, and the water evaporation from hydrogel could be retarded aft er mixing with KC, while the tensile strength of hydrogel films were obviou sly increased after mixing with silk. Toxicity and healing effect of PVA/PV P/KC/silk blended hydrogel films as wound dressings were evaluated. The irr adiated blended hydrogel showed satisfactory properties for wound dressing, the hydrogel did not induce any acute general toxic effects, and it is eff ective for fast healing of wound.