A Cost-Effective Hydrogel-Based Wound Model for Quantitative Evaluation of Topical Treatments in Infected Wounds.
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Ørsteds Plads 345C, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
- 2National Centre for Nano Fabrication and Characterization, Technical University of Denmark, Fysikvej 307, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
- 3Department of Clinical Microbiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark.
- 4Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Costerton Biofilm Center, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark.
- 5Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Section for Microbial and Chemical Ecology, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads 221, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
Abstract
Chronic wound infections are frequently associated with bacterial biofilms, which significantly reduce the efficacy of antimicrobial treatments. Conventional in vitro evaluation methods, such as disc diffusion assays and static biofilm models, lack physiological relevance, whereas more advanced wound models are often costly, complex, and difficult to reproduce. In this study, we present a cost-effective and easily applicable in vitro wound model based on gelatin-alginate hydrogels for the evaluation of topical antimicrobial therapies. Hydrogels composed of gelatin type A and sodium alginate were integrated into a transwell system and crosslinked using microbial transglutaminase and calcium ions. This configuration enables passive diffusion of simulated wound fluid from the basolateral compartment, thereby mimicking key aspects of the wound environment. The model supports the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms within a three-dimensional matrix. The hydrogel system supported bacterial growth and microcolony formation during 48 h of incubation at 37 °C. The system was applied in both biofilm inhibition and eradication studies using tobramycin, ε-poly-L-Lysine and the commercially available wound gel Prontosan®. Viable bacteria were quantitatively recovered through hydrogel dissolution followed by serial dilution and count of colony-forming units. Overall, the developed model provides a simple and accessible platform for quantitative evaluation of antibiofilm treatments. While not intended to fully replicate the complexity of native tissue, this system offers a practical alternative to collagen-based models and helps bridge the gap between conventional in vitro assays and more advanced wound models.
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BibTeX
@article{andresen2026costeffective,
title = {{A Cost-Effective Hydrogel-Based Wound Model for Quantitative Evaluation of Topical Treatments in Infected Wounds.}},
author = {Amalie Kjær Andresen and Emilia Gaertner and Marie Karen Tracy Hong Lin and Claus Moser and Lars Jelsbak and Line Hagner Nielsen},
journal = {Gels (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/gels12100934},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42929968},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A Cost-Effective Hydrogel-Based Wound Model for Quantitative Evaluation of Topical Treatments in Infected Wounds.
AU - Amalie Kjær Andresen
AU - Emilia Gaertner
AU - Marie Karen Tracy Hong Lin
AU - Claus Moser
AU - Lars Jelsbak
AU - Line Hagner Nielsen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - Gels (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/gels12100934
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42929968
AB - Chronic wound infections are frequently associated with bacterial biofilms, which significantly reduce the efficacy of antimicrobial treatments. Conventional in vitro evaluation methods, such as disc diffusion assays and static biofilm models, lack physiological relevance, whereas more advanced wound models are often costly, complex, and difficult to reproduce. In this study, we present a cost-effective and easily applicable in vitro wound model based on gelatin-alginate hydrogels for the evaluation of topical antimicrobial therapies. Hydrogels composed of gelatin type A and sodium alginate were integrated into a transwell system and crosslinked using microbial transglutaminase and calcium ions. This configuration enables passive diffusion of simulated wound fluid from the basolateral compartment, thereby mimicking key aspects of the wound environment. The model supports the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms within a three-dimensional matrix. The hydrogel system supported bacterial growth and microcolony formation during 48 h of incubation at 37 °C. The system was applied in both biofilm inhibition and eradication studies using tobramycin, ε-poly-L-Lysine and the commercially available wound gel Prontosan®. Viable bacteria were quantitatively recovered through hydrogel dissolution followed by serial dilution and count of colony-forming units. Overall, the developed model provides a simple and accessible platform for quantitative evaluation of antibiofilm treatments. While not intended to fully replicate the complexity of native tissue, this system offers a practical alternative to collagen-based models and helps bridge the gap between conventional in vitro assays and more advanced wound models.
SN - 2310-2861
ER -