Nanosized Synthetic Smectic Clay-Based Hydrogel with Controlled Release of Oxygen for Applications in Skin Wounds

This manuscript describes the development of a nano-sized synthetic smectic clay hydrogel (LAP) that enables controlled oxygen delivery, making it a promising candidate for treating skin wound infections and promoting healing. LAP is an ingredient in various dermatological products, including powders, creams and emulsions. We investigated the antibacterial effect of the LAP hydrogel by incorporating calcium peroxide (CPO), an oxygen-releasing agent, and measuring the size of the inhibitory halo. We found that CPO hydrogels in LAP showed a significant increase in oxygen release during the first five hours, especially at low CPO concentrations. For example, the hydrogel with 5% CPO showed a controlled release profile with a final percentage oxygen release of 2.47 ± 0.01% after 5 h. In contrast, the hydrogels with 10% and 20% CPO achieved lower final oxygen release values, 0.67 ± 0.01% and 0.75 ± 0.01%, respectively, suggesting that the encapsulation efficiency of LAP is higher at higher concentrations. LAP also proved to be an effective oxygen barrier and showed inherent antimicrobial activity. The research confirmed the antibacterial properties of the hydrogel, with inhibition sites observed against both E. coli and S. aureus. These results emphasize the potential of this hydrogel to serve as an effective tool for wound treatment by providing sustained oxygenation and fighting microbial infections.