Antibacterial and Cell-Adhesive Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) Hydrogels Developed for Wound Treatment: <i>In Vitro</i> Evaluation

Poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline) (PAOx) polymers are promising materials due to their tunable properties. In this study, poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEtOx) was methacrylated after partial hydrolysis to produce methacrylated poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (POx-MA), which was subsequently used to synthesize novel hydrogels. Interpenetrating polymer networks (IPN) were developed by combining POx-MA with methacrylated gelatin (GelMA). Compression tests revealed that GelMA exhibited the highest mechanical strength (199 ± 21 kPa), followed by the IPN POx-MA:GelMA (112 ± 27 kPa) and POx-MA (15 ± 5 kPa). However, in scratch wound healing tests, this order was reversed, with POx-MA exhibiting the highest closure (67 ± 8%), followed by the IPN (51 ± 2%) and GelMA (42 ± 1%) in 48 h. Cell viability exceeded 90% with all of the hydrogels. The study showed that partial hydrolysis and the resultant free amine groups in POx-MA enhanced cell adhesion. Moreover, POx-MA containing hydrogels demonstrated high antibacterial activity against <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>. This study highlights the superior properties of POx-MA and POx-MA:GelMA IPN as novel hydrogels with substantial potential for biomaterials and tissue engineering applications.