Compositions are provided for promoting healing of tissue of a vertebrate organism. The compositions can be for internal administration of a therapeutically effective amount of pharmacologically active, protease inhibiting, aqueous media soluble polysulfonated materials in salt form and associated with a secondary material to reduce one or more of inflammation, bacterial proliferation, proteolytic activity, and cancerous cell growth. The compositions may additionally or alternatively be cross-linked so as to alter the solubility of these pharmacologically active salts or slow dissolution by providing biodegradable cross-linkers. Compositions for healing the tissue of a multicellular organism are provided that can include a polysulfonated material in a liquid mixture, as solid particles or constructs that may or may not biodegrade or deliver a pharmacologically relevant value. Some of the compositions are also provided for inclusion into a device for preventing infection, reducing inflammation, and preserving the activity of a protein or protein drug.