POS8-0040
Herbal Bioactive Compound-Loaded Polysaccharide Hydrogel for Real-Time Monitoring and Healing of Infected Wounds
Topic
S8. Frontiers of Functional Polymers in Biology and Medicine
When and Where
Oct 1, 2026
08:30 - 09:30
Room 301 (Grand Ballroom)
Session Chairs
Jinkee HONG
Ki Su KIM
Presenter(s)
V.H. Giang Phan (Ton Duc Thang University)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Infected wounds remain a major global healthcare challenge due to persistent bacterial colonization and biofilm formation, which severely impair the natural wound-healing process. This study reports the development of an advanced, naturally derived smart hydrogel patch designed for simultaneous real-time infection monitoring and enhanced wound healing. The hydrogel was fabricated using gellan gum (GG) and bacterial cellulose (BC) as the primary polysaccharide matrix, physically crosslinked with tannic acid (TA), and incorporated with dual botanical extracts (DBE) from purple sweet potato and beetroot. The resulting hydrogel (GG/BC/TA/DBE) exhibited a homogeneous interconnected porous structure with an average pore size of approximately 240 µm and demonstrated excellent adhesion to human tissue and various substrate materials. Incorporation of DBE significantly improved the tensile strength of the pristine hydrogel (36.6 ± 3.7 kPa compared to 23.0 ± 5.2 kPa). Furthermore, the hydrogel displayed remarkable antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, along with strong antioxidant capacity in the DPPH assay. Hemocompatibility studies revealed that GG/BC/TA/DBE possessed excellent hemostatic performance and blood compatibility. Notably, the hydrogel underwent rapid and visible color changes across physiological-to-pathological pH ranges, enabling its function as an in situ point-of-care colorimetric sensor for wound infection monitoring. The biocompatibility of the hydrogel patch was further confirmed through CAM and cell viability assays. Overall, this eco-friendly and multifunctional wound dressing platform effectively integrates real-time diagnostic sensing with active multimodal therapy, offering significant potential for next-generation personalized and intelligent wound management applications.
