Fabrication of polyvinyl alcohol–polyethylene glycol–copper oxide nanocomposite hydrogel as a novel wound dressing

This study aimed to design a new hydrogel wound dressing using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and copper oxide (CuO) via the solvent casting method. Firstly, copper oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using a sol-gel method. Then, the produced CuO was added to the polymer mixture solution. Glutaraldehyde solution was employed to crosslink the samples. The samples' water absorption, gel fraction, water vapor transmission, and mechanical properties were evaluated. The results indicate that increasing the weight percentage of copper oxide improved water absorption and mechanical properties of the wound dressing hydrogels. Additionally, the water vapor transmission rate through the samples decreased with the increase in the weight of copper oxide. The results of the antibacterial properties examination suggested that the samples with 1% copper oxide had the highest antibacterial properties against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Escherichia coli</i>. All the samples had a cell viability higher than 70%. As a result, the PVA/PEG/CuO hydrogel can be a good candidate for wound dressing.