A Polysaccharide Isolated from the Herb Bletilla striata Combined with Methylcellulose to Form a Hydrogel via Self-Assembly as a Wound Dressing

The Bletilla striata Polysaccharide (BSP), a natural polysaccharide derived from the east Asian terrestrial orchid Bletilla striata, is an anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antioxidant polysaccharide. Traditionally, it has been used to treat hemostasis and for wound healing. In this study, BSP was blended with methylcellulose (MC) and methylparaben (MP) to create a hydrogel through a self-assembly route as a wound dressing. The developed hydrogels were designed as M2Bx, M5Bx, and M8Bx. M stands for MC, and the number represents a percentage. Whereas the second letter of B stands for BSP, and x refers to the percentage variation of BSP: x = 0.5%, 1%, and 2%. All the developed MB hydrogels contained β-glucopyranosyl and α-mannopyranosyl, and rheology test had a tan δ value ≥ 0.5. The pore sizes of the hydrogels decreased by increasing the MC and BSP content, and they had better properties with respect to water loss and their swelling ratio. Evaluations in vitro and in vivo showed that all of the developed MB hydrogels have good cell viability and wound-healing properties. The M8B2 hydrogel group was found to be superior to the others from within the developed MB hydrogels. Therefore, we believe that the M8B2 hydrogel formulation has a high potential for development as a wound dressing.