Carrageenan gel good for wounds

Wanted: Entrepreneurs who will invest in the production of a gel made from carrageenan that can reduce pain and scar formation from wounds, bedsores and burns.

Called hydrogel, the dressing material was developed by researchers of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI).

Hydrogel is prepared from carrageenan (an extract from Eucheuma seaweed) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PFP) through radiation technology. Carrageenan is a gelling agent used extensively as a thickener or emulsifier in commercial products such as cosmetics, ice cream, chocolate, toothpaste, beer and medicine.

The new product was among the "mature technologies" exhibited during the observance of this year’s National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) at the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC) along Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City.

Early this year, the hydrogel won the first prize (P100,000 and a trophy) in the first Aquatic Technology Competition (ATCOM) sponsored by the Los Baños-based DOST-Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD).

The PNRI-developed hydrogel has many advantages over similar products, such as: it is transparent, non-allergenic, sterile and easy to handle, and cheaper than commercial dressings.

Lucille Abad of PNRI had reported that the hydrogel costs only P200, or twice lesser than those of commercially available imported hydrocolloids for burn dressing. It is also comparable with the imported ones.

Prospective users of the hydrogels are Department of Health-run government hospitals, as well as the private ones.

Other possible uses of carrageenan being studied by PNRI are in agriculture (as plant growth promoter and as water resource for plants) and in biomedical products such as hemostats (instruments for compressing a bleeding vessel) and face masks. – Rudy A. Fernandez