Effect of the hyaluronic acid-poloxamer hydrogel on skin-wound healing: in vitro and in vivo studies.

Background: Recent research into skin injury and wound healing has focused mainly on post-trauma hemostasis, infection prevention, dermal regeneration and angiogenesis. However, less attention has been paid to air permeability and moisture loss prevention which also play important roles in injury healing.

Methods: In the present work, we prepared a hyaluronic acid-poloxamer (HA-POL) hydrogel and tested the therapeutic effect of the hydrogel on skin-wound healing.

Results: The HA-POL hydrogel transformed from sol to gel at 30°C, close to body temperature, and had stable moisturizing properties. HA-POL hydrogel promoted skin-wound healing and increased protein accumulation in the wound area. HA-POL hydrogel allowed greater air permeability than Band-aid, a typical wound covering. Results from transwell assays showed that the HA-POL hydrogel effectively isolated skin-wounds from bacterial invasion.

Conclusion: This work demonstrates the advantages of using HA-POL gel materials in the treatment of cutaneous wounds.