A multifunctional polysaccharide-based hydrogel for type 2 diabetes application

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic metabolic disorder characterised by hyperglycaemia, insulin resistance, and relative insulin deficiency. Insulin resistance results in patients requiring increased insulin injections and its limited bioavailability. The present subject matter aims to use Pueraria lobata polysaccharides, which can alleviate insulin resistance and have hypoglycaemic potency, as a medicinal excipient to prepare a hydrogel with excellent slow-release properties, which can be used to load insulin for injection or as a diabetic wound dressing material. Pueraria lobata polysaccharides (PLR) were extracted by hydroalcohol precipitation, and oxidised Pueraria lobata polysaccharides (O-PLR) were successfully prepared by sodium periodate oxidation and verified by structural characterisation. Subsequently, double crosslinked hydrogels were prepared using oxidised Pueraria lobata polysaccharides, chitosan and cellulose acetoacetate, and several of their properties were investigated in detail. The experimental results showed that the O-PLR double-crosslinked hydrogels possessed good rheological properties and injectability, as well as excellent self-healing and antimicrobial activities; moreover, the O-PLR hydrogels exhibited significant hypoglycemic activity, which is expected to be an important material for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Overall, this study provides a reliable theoretical and experimental basis for the development of hydrogels with hypoglycaemic, pro-healing and antibacterial functions.