Analysis of Diffusion of Synthetic Wound Antimicrobials from PVA Hydrogel Using Free Volume Theory

In this research work, free volume theory (FVT) is employed to analyze the diffusion of synthetic antimicrobial agents that are utilized for wound healing applications. For this purpose, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel is considered as a matrix for the diffusion of the therapeutic compounds. The diffusion characteristics are studied using a computational model for the three most commonly used antimicrobial drugs, namely Gentamicin, Amphotericin B and Vancomycin. The results show that the FVT-based approach predicts the kinetics of diffusion of synthetic wound antimicrobials through the hydrogel matrix. Variation in the diffusion times is found to be correlated with their hydrodynamic radii. Diffusion of Vancomycin through PVA hydrogel is found to take more time when compared with the other drugs, owing to its higher hydrodynamic radius. It appears that the present study could be useful for accelerating the wound healing process using drug-encapsulated hydrogels.