Evaluation of chitosan/γ-poly(glutamic acid) polyelectrolyte complex for wound dressing materials

This study presents a novel design for an easily stripped polyelectrolyte complex (PEC), which consists of chitosan as a cationic polyelectrolyte and γ-poly (glutamic acid) (γ-PGA) as an anionic polyelectrolyte, as a wound dressing material. The physical and chemical properties of the chitosan/γ-PGA PECs are fully investigated. Experimental results show that the physical and chemical properties and the in vitro degradation of the chitosan/γ-PGA PECs directly reflect the degree of complex formation. In addition, chitosan/γ-PGA PECs provide suitable moisture content and exhibit good mechanical properties, both favorable for allowing dressing to be easily stripped off from the wound surface without damaging newly regenerated tissue. Furthermore, in vivo experiments are conducted on a mouse model to study wounds treated with the chitosan/γ-PGA PECs. Histological examinations reveal that, more than 50% of re-epithelialization and regeneration of the wound are achieved by dressing it with the chitosan/γ-PGA PECs. On the basis of wound-healing efficacy, chitosan/γ-PGA PECs can be potentially applied as a wound dressing material.