Biomedical Applications of Gelatin Hydrogels

Gelatin has many biomedical applications some of its applications are similar to that of alginate such as they can both be used in drug delivery. Gelatin hydrogels are very soluble in water at 37°C, they are also non-immunogenic, and they also have amphoteric behaviour¹⁰. Due to the combination of these properties gelatin based hydrogels are used as matrices in tissue engineering, they are used in the manufacturing of contact lenses, and they also used as scaffolds in wound dressing. Gelatin can also be modified using various cross-linking agents by doing so the properties of gelatin change making it suitable for a specific application¹⁰.

Tissue Engineering

In the tissue engineering the matrix materials need to be able to mechanically support cells and being able to mimic natural cell components like the extracellular matrix is vital. Gelatin has these properties and is therefore an excellent candidate in tissue engineering as it is capable of providing cell adhesion sites and is biodegradable¹². Due to these properties some gelatin based biomaterial have been successfully used in wound healing and tissue engineering. Another benefit of the gelatin is that it is able to recreate the stiffness of the tissue engineering material, this property is vital for the recreation of the stem cell niche¹².  

Contact Lenses

Most contact lenses are made up of a special hydrophilic plastic which is able to absorb water, the ability to absorb water is essential in contact lenses as this prevents the plastic lens from drying up and eventually breaking¹³. In order to make the contact lenses last longer silicone was added to the water absorbing plastic to produce a silicone hydrogel, the addition of silicone allows the lens to stay moist and transmits more oxygen into the eye keeping it healthy. Chitosan/gelatin film has been looked into as an alternative to the traditional plastic contact lens as there have been some cases where the plastic irritates the eye due to poor immunologic compatibility. Chitosan films aid in wound healing and have good oxygen permeability, chitosan is able to absorb water, but this however was greatly improved by the addition of gelatin¹³. Due to the combined efforts of chitosan and gelatin the contact lens is able to absorb a large volume of water, have a good oxygen permeability and it aids in wound healing which is a very useful feature for damaged eyes¹³.

Scaffolds in Wound Dressing

Like alginate, gelatin is used in wound dressing as it is able to provide a warm, moist environment for the wound to heal which is very useful in wound healing as it promotes rapid healing. It also provides a barrier over the wound to prevent bacterial infection¹⁰.