Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) hydrogels containing various CMC concentration of 2 to 10 wt% are prepared using cyclic freezing/thawing and subsequent γ -ray irradiation to evaluate the effect of CMC content on cell growth rate of the hydrogels. A 3-D porous network structure is successfully formed via physical and chemical crosslinking. The pore size and the metronidazole drug release rate of the PVA/CMC hydrogels increase with raising the CMC concentration from 2 to 10 wt%, however, the structural integrity is severely damaged. The highest compressive strength of 99.2 ± 9.6 kPa and the fastest cell growth determined by scratch assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay are observed for the irradiated PVA/6 wt% CMC hydrogels, indicating that they are highly suitable for wound dressing requiring fast regeneration.