Preparation and characterization of aminated hyaluronic acid/oxidized hydroxyethyl cellulose hydrogel.

Hydrogel wound dressing is a new type of biomaterial with great absorbent capacity, which has been extensively researched and its application in the field of biomedicine is common. In this study, we prepared a novel composite hydrogel made of hyaluronic acid (HA) and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), both of them are natural polysaccharides. Then, the structure and properties of this composite hydrogel were characterized and tested. The results gained from these studies show that this composite materials have a series of excellent performance such as appropriate gelation time, good swelling ability, suitable water evaporation rate, well hemocompatibility and biological compatibility. In particular, the super absorbent capacity (the maximum swelling rate is 2888%), which is conducive to maintain a moist wound healing environment. Taking account of these properties, this hydrogel can be used clinically as a wound dressing.