Polyvinyl Alcohol-Based Cryogels: Design, Characterization, and In Vitro Biological Studies

Using inappropriate wound dressings makes the wound prone to bacteria invasion, impeding the wound-healing process. In this work, cryogels were prepared from selected polymers, such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), and sodium alginate (SA) via a freeze–thaw method and loaded with Capparis sepiaria plant extract to enhance the healing process. The cryogels displayed significant antibacterial activity against bacterial strains responsible for infected wounds. The prepared cryogels exhibited good tensile strength in the range of 0.06 ± 0.11–0.89 ± 0.66 MPa, moderate folding endurance between 1 ± 1.63 and 392 ± 17.18, and excellent porosity in the range of 76%–88.7% after 48 h. The water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) was in the range of 343 ± 18.67–3684 ± 16.70 g m⁻².day⁻¹. Remarkably, the cryogels displayed excellent biocompatibility with human cells, with cell viability of over 80%–100%. Furthermore, the wound-healing scratch assay yielded wound area coverage of > 60%, proving that the cryogels support cell adhesion and migration. The whole blood assay revealed the cryogels ability to prevent excessive bleeding. Results obtained from this work demonstrate the efficacy of plant extract-loaded cryogels as wound dressings for the treatment of microbial-infected and bleeding wounds.