Dried Musa paradiciaca (banana) stem and veins of the leaves, which were hitherto discarded as a waste, were collected and used as starting material for the preparation of cellulose and cellulose acetate. This cellulose acetate was mixed with polystyrene to form blend of cellulose acetate-polystyrene in order to provide enhanced stability and extended utility to the end products. The films of these composites or their individual partners were made separately and studied for their mechanical properties, chemical modification and morphological changes. We report here that banana stem is good source of cellulose and that cellulose completely undergoes modification upon esterification.
In this study we have reported the efficacy of three biomaterials: (a) physiologically clotted fibrin-gelatin composite (PFG), (b) PFG graft copolymerized with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (PFG-HEMA), and (c) PFG graft copolymerized with 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate (PFG-HPMA) as temporary wound-dressing materials using the rat as an animal model. Full-thickness excision wounds were made on the back of female rats weighing about 150 +/- 10 g. The dressings were applied on the wounds and changed periodically at an interval of 4 days with the respective materials. The wounds treated with PFG-HEMA healed completely on 15th day after wound creation, whereas those treated with PFG and PFG-HPMA resulted in complete healing on the 17th day. The concentrations of collagen, hexosamine, and uronic acid in the granulation tissue were determined. The PFG and its graft copolymers acted as hydrogels, thereby absorbing excess exudates, while still maintaining a moist environment at the wound site. The enhanced wound healing in the experimental animals was reflected in the increased rate of wound contraction. The results of the histological and mechanical studies of the experimental groups revealed that reepithelialization and remodeling of the skin have been achieved by providing a moist environment at the wound site by the biomaterials and thereby hastening the migration of keratinocytes.
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