Determination of the Gamma Radiation Doses Range for the Synthesis of Hydrogels to Their Application as Wound Dressing

Hydrogels are polymeric structures which have desirable characteristics to be used as wound dressings, as they can provide the optimal environment for wound repair and reduce treatment times. For this reason, in this work two types of environmentally friendly methodologies were used for the preparation of hydrogels that present satisfactory macroscopic characteristics for their application. Hydrogels of polyvinylalcohol/polyvinylpyrrolidone prepared by two production methods were developed, involving the use of gamma radiation as the crosslinking agent (radiochemical synthesis) and gamma radiation and thermal cycling as pre-gelling treatment (hybrid synthesis). Doses range from 15 kGy to 50 kGy were used and parameters related to macroscopic, dehydration and gelation characteristics were evaluated. For this purpose, Principal Component Analysis was used from which the appropriate dose ranges for each type of hydrogel were obtained considering the desired application. The crosslinked radiochemical synthesis hydrogels with doses of 25 kGy to 40 kGy exhibited transparent characteristics, with good adherence. Moreover, their dehydration does not interfere with the skin comfort of the hydrogel, and they are easily removable. However, these gels usually have irregularities due to factors dependent on the synthesis chain. The optimal dose range in the hydrogels produced by the hybrid synthesis method that allowed obtaining gels with good macroscopic properties was between 15 kGy and 40 kGy. This allows us to conclude that hybrid synthesis hydrogels in the proposed dose range are a good alternative for application as wound dressings.