Author(s): Ashlee Byrnes

Presentation: oral

Pressure ulcers result from chronic inflammation and are difficult to heal as few treatment options for tissue repair are available. Gelatin-based hydrogel dressings may promote regrowth of tissue due to gelatin’s structural similarity to collagen, a protein of the extracellular matrix. Since gelatin is water soluble, gelatin-based scaffolds must be cross-linked to reduce dressing degradation. This study used polyglycolic acid (PGA) and polycapralactone (PCL) as copolymers. A dendrimer drug delivery system with antimicrobial silver was also incorporated, as this would help combat local infection. Four hydrogel scaffolds (50/50 blends of the gelatin with either copolymer and with and without the dendrimer) were electrospun and tested for various properties: absorbance, permeability, porosity, fiber diameter, and mechanical strength. The scaffolds with PCL showed significantly higher absorbance but less mechanical strength than those with PGA. The presence of the dendrimer also appeared to decrease fiber diameter,m which may have affected these blends’ mechanical strength. However, many of the physical properties among the four blends were similar, indicating that the dressing blends will likely have uniform effects on wound healing. This research was conducted as part of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Bioinformatics and Bioengineering Summer Institute in the Biomedical Engineering Department under Dr. Hu Yang.

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