RT Journal Article
T1 Oxygen-generating and antibacterial xanthan gum/PLA aerogels loaded with dexamethasone for potential wound healing
A1 Hozjan, Nika Atelšek
A1 Horvat, Gabrijela
A1 Finšgar, MMatjaž
A1 Iglesias-Mejuto, Ana
A1 Ardao Palacios, Inés
A1 García González, Carlos A.
A1 Knez, Zeljko A.
A1 Novak, Zoran
K1 Aerogel
K1 Wound healing
K1 Xanthan gum
AB Chronic wounds do not heal within a reasonable time frame due to hypoxia and bacterial inflammation, creating an urgent need for advanced biomaterials to address these challenges. In this study, oxygen-generating, antibacterial xanthan gum-polylactic acid (XA/PLA) aerogels loaded with dexamethasone were developed for the first time for potential wound healing applications. The aerogels contained sodium percarbonate and calcium peroxide as oxygen-releasing agents, providing sustained oxygen release for up to 48 h. The aerogels had a highly porous structure with a high specific surface area (up to 396 ± 8 m2/g) and revealed high liquid absorption capacity in simulated body fluid, absorbing up to 67 times their original weight and remaining stable for 72 h. The in vitro release tests showed controlled profiles of dexamethasone over 24 h. The antibacterial tests demonstrated strong antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (an up to 15.92 mm inhibition zone diameter) and Staphylococcus aureus (up to a 31.07 mm inhibition zone diameter). The in vitro biocompatibility assays revealed good cytocompatibility with mouse fibroblast cells (NIH/3T3), with a cell viability of >90%. Hemocompatibility tests showed no hemolytic activity with human blood (lysis rate <2%). Overall, these results emphasise the versatility of the XA/PLA aerogels and their potential for the treatment of chronic wounds.
PB Elsevier
YR 2025
FD 2025-04-19
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/47194
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/47194
LA eng
NO Hozjan, N. A., Horvat, G., Finšgar, M., Iglesias-Mejuto, A., Palacios, I. A., García-González, C. A., Knez, Ž., & Novak, Z. (2025). Oxygen-generating and antibacterial xanthan gum/PLA aerogels loaded with dexamethasone for potential wound healing. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 310. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJBIOMAC.2025.143314
NO The authors thank the Slovenian Agency for Research and Innovations (ARIS) for supporting the work of Research Programs P2-0046 and P2-0118. The Republic of Slovenia, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, and the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund are gratefully acknowledged for supporting the mentioned projects and for the use of an apparatus for supercritical drying, procured within the project “Upgrading national research infrastructures – RIUM”. The authors also acknowledge the financial support from the COST CA18125 Advanced Engineering and Research of AeroGels for Environment and Life Sciences. The work was carried out in the framework of the COST Innovators Grant IG18125 “Technical, commercial and societal innovations on aerogels toward a circular economy” (ECO-AERoGELS) funded by the European Commission, and was also supported by MICIU/AEI 10.13039/501100011033 [Grants PID2020-120010RB-I00 and PDC2022-133526-I00], and by ERDF/EU and the European Union NextGeneration EU/PRTR. A.I.M. acknowledges Xunta de Galicia for her predoctoral research fellowship [ED481A-2020/104].
DS Minerva
RD 21 may 2026