The wound is a biosynthetic environment in which numerous cellular
processes are interlinked in the process of repair. Modern dressings
are designed to facilitate wound healing rather than just to cover it.
Hydrogel dressing can protect injured skin and keep it appropriately
moist to speed the healing process by absorbing exudates while
maintaining the products of tissue repair, including growth factor and
lysosomes, in contact with the wound. The design and development of
novel membrane of hydrogel prepared by crosslinking of polyvinyl
alcohol with starch suspension using glutaraldehyde as a crosslinking
agent was attempted. The membrane was characterized by FTIR
spectroscopy. The mechanical property of the hydrogel membrane was
characterized by tensile tests. The diffusion coefficient of salicylic
acid through the membrane was also evaluated. FTIR spectra of the
membrane indicated the absence of free aldehydic groups of
glutaraldehyde. The membranes had sufficient strength. The diffusion
coefficient of the analgesic drug salicylic acid, used as a model drug,
in the prepared starch hydrogels has been measured using a diaphragm
cell technique. At 30 °C, the measured value of the diffusion
coefficient was approximately 5.03×10-14 m2/s
