Honey Hydrogel Patch Assisted by Ultraviolet Exposure: Characterization and Adhesion Analyses

Wound treatment is one of the challenging issues, faced in healthcare despite the development of various advanced technologies. Hydrogels are known to be used in wound treatment and received a lot of attention in the biomedical field due to its ability to store and absorb a significant amount of water which is advantageous for wound healing. The incorporation of honey within the hydrogel increases the resistance towards bacterial infection and induce advanced cell proliferation. However, the fragile structure of honey hydrogel has limited its placement on wounds. The utilization of ultraviolet (UV) light to harden the physical properties of honey hydrogels able to improve and assist the formation of honey hydrogel patches. Therefore, this study aimed to fabricate honey hydrogel patches through UV exposure and evaluate the physio-chemical properties and mucous adhesion strength of the hydrogel patches. The stingless bee honey was incorporated into the matrix of cellulose hydrogel, followed by the exposure of 365 nm UV light at different distances of 1, 2 and 6 cm. The morphology of the hydrogel patches at 1 cm UV exposure was observed to be flatten and possessed more regular structure compared to the other variation of hydrogel patches. The most hydrophilic surface (26.1 ± 0.8)˚ and the greatest ultimate strength (0.52 ± 0.3´10-3 kPa) were also recorded on the similar sample. Therefore, at a shorter UV light exposure distance, distinct hydrogel patches with greater adhesion capability were fabricated for the use in wound healing management.