A team of researchers from Tokyo University of Science (TUS), Japan, has developed a new medical material featuring a component found in seaweed for treating skin wounds.

According to the researchers, the seaweed-based hydrogel reportedly achieves physical properties that are different from those of conventional hydrogels, which tend to interfere with the wound-healing process by stretching and expanding the wound itself thanks to adhesives.

Source: Ryota Teshima from Tokyo University of Science

To develop the hydrogel, the team used calcium carbonate, carbonated water and alginate, which is a biocompatible substance derived from beach-cast seaweed that reportedly does not adhere strongly to cells or skin tissues.

The researchers report that the combination of the alginate and calcium ions, as well as the protective characteristics of the carbon dioxide in carbonated water against acidification, resulted in a hydrogel that exhibited appropriate pH and moisture conditions for wound recovery as well as decreased adhesion and swelling, when measured against other commercial hydrogel wound dressings.

“Through animal experiments, we demonstrated that our hydrogel has a high therapeutic effect and at the same time can suppress the temporary expansion of the wound area caused by conventional clinical preparations,” the team explained. “This proves our initial hypothesis that gels with low skin adhesion and low-swelling properties are excellent as wound dressing materials, which is the complete opposite of conventional wisdom.”

The new hydrogel is detailed in the article, “Low-adhesion and low-swelling hydrogel based on alginate and carbonated water to prevent temporary dilation of wound sites,” which appears in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules.