Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Winter 1-26-2026

Abstract

The impaired skin regeneration, scarring, and delayed healing make the management of burn injuries a challenging task. We designed a photopolymerized hydrogel of gelatin-grafted with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) for burn management applications. Hydrogel was incorporated with Morin, a plant flavonoid that was originally isolated from the Moraceae family, with known anti-antioxidant and antifibrotic activities. The physicochemical characterization of the resultant hydrogel, including its gelation time and swelling properties, was conducted. The characterization results indicated that the hydrogel development was successful, exhibiting well-established porosity, as evidenced by the SEM images. In vivo evaluation demonstrated improved tissue regeneration characterized by enhanced collagen deposition and dermal re-modelling. Additionally, histopathological analysis indicated reduced fibrotic features and accelerated wound closure. Moreover, the hydrogel promoted epithelial regeneration, accelerating the closure of burns in a burn rat model. Furthermore, in vitro studies using a THP-1- derived M1 macrophage model, showed that the Morin-loaded hydrogel formulations GH-5, GH-6, and GH-7 demonstrated a potent, concentration-dependent suppression of key M1 inflammatory mediators including nitric oxide (NO), IL-1b, and IL-6. This anti-inflammatory effect was mechanistically linked to the downregulation of critical genes (iNOS, COX-2, and STAT-3) that drive the M1 phenotype. Notably, the hydrogel with the highest Morin concentration (GH-7, 5%) exhibited the most significant reduction in inflammatory outputs, suggesting that the therapeutic efficacy is enhanced by Morin loading onto nanofibers. Collectively, this study provides a foundation for the development of functional hydrogels in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, particularly in relation to burn therapy and modulating macrophage-driven inflammatory pathologies.

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