A new kind of on-demand dissolution hydrogel is successfully synthesized by modification of chitosan using γ-selenobutyrolactone. The chitosan hydrogel with different selenium contents is formed by ring opening of γ-selenobutyrolactone with the amines of D-glucosamine units on the chitosan backbone. The structure of the hydrogel was confirmed by 1H NMR, XRD and XPS. Its physical and biological properties were evaluated by rheology characterization, degradation tests and cytotoxicity test. The hydrogel showed excellent biocompatibility and good degradation properties under oxidation or reduction conditions. All the evidence demonstrated that this type of material has good prospects for dressing applications.
Keywords: chitosan; diselenide; hydrogel; on-demand dissolution.