Abstract
Wound healing remains an area of continuing advancements in the biomedical field. Collagen is a major and natural polymeric component of the skin and plays an important role in wound healing by restoring the skin integrity. Fabricating biocompatible hydrogel-based biomaterials are a promising solution to addressing the wound healing challenge by presenting an effective protection barrier wound dressing, as well as actively participating in the healing process with integration of appropriated payloads into the hydrogel network. Gelatin is a derivative of collagen that can be obtained from fish skins which can be utilized in the hydrogel network to provide a biocompatible interface that promotes cellular interactions. This research aims to fabricate biocompatible composite hydrogels via alkaline hydrolysis using sodium hydroxide to physically crosslink natural polymers together under thermal curing. Along using fish gelatin as the basis of the hydrogel, properties can be enhanced by crosslinking structures of hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chitosan chloride, sodium alginate, and konjac glucomannan. The resulting composite hydrogels expect to possess desirable mechanical properties in tensile strength and water retention, antibacterial activity against E. coli, and HEK293 cytocompatibility to be used as a wound dressing material. The findings of this research will lead to the longer-term goals: to turn local marine sources/wastes into a valuable medical product which are otherwise discarded, and to use the obtained natural polymer composite hydrogel as a platform for further improved wound healing outcomes.