Preparation of an Injectable Alginate Hydrogel by Enzymatic Crosslinking Reaction and Application to Wound Healing Agents

In this study, an alginate hydrogel was prepared and characterized through an enzymatic crosslinking reaction of modified alginate with tyramine (Alg-Tyr) in order to develop an injectable wound healing agent that secures a moisture environment and dense adhesion to rough wound surface with controlled physical properties. The modification of Alg-Tyr was confirmed through attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscope and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. The storage modulus, gelation time, hydrolysis behavior and in vitro cytotoxicity of the hydrogel according to the crosslinking and concentration parameters of the alginate mixture were analyzed. The optimum hydrogel was selected as Alg-Tyr 4 w/w%, horseradish peroxidase 0.2 mg/mL and H2O2 4 μL/mL concentration of composition. As results of in vivo wound healing rate and histological evaluation, the alginate hydrogel group showed superior recovery speed and skin regeneration ability compared to the control group, and it is expected to be used as an injectable wound healing agent.