Preparation and characterization of a novel antimicrobial film dressing for wound healing application

Abstract

Antibacterial activity and good mechanical properties are some of the characteristics required for an appropriate film dressing. A novel polymer blend was developed for wound healing application. Twenty-four formulations using the polymers chitosan, poly(vinyl alcohol) and/or ɛ-Polylysine and the plasticizer glycerol were designed using factorial design and then the films were prepared by the casting/solvent evaporation method. Seventeen films were obtained among the twenty-four proposed formulations that were characterized by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Mechanical properties, such as tensile strength (σ), elongation at break (ɛ) and Young's modulus (Y) as well as antibacterial properties were determined. The best candidate was then further analyzed with regard to porosity, Water Vapor Transmission Rate (WVTR), swelling and cytotoxicity experiments. The results showed a film with semi-occlusive characteristics, good mechanical properties and no toxic. Incorporation of ɛ-Polylysine increased antibacterial activity against gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria.

Films for Wound Healing Fabricated Using a Solvent Casting Technique

“…Its versatility is due to the range of polymers available (natural and synthetic) and the ease of industrial scaling for their manufacture [ 59 ]. In addition, a wound dressing is appropriate for its antimicrobial properties because infections can compromise skin healing [ 129 ]. E. coli , B. subtilis , and P. aeruginosa are the most common microorganisms in wound infections.…”

Microwave-Treated Physically Cross-Linked Sodium Alginate and Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose Blend Polymer Film for Open Incision Wound Healing in Diabetic Animals—A Novel Perspective for Skin Tissue Regeneration Application

“…The WVTR of a wound healing platform determines its efficiency in reducing the transepidermal water loss and facilitating the easy exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the wound bed and external environment [ 100 ], which is inversely proportional to a wound dressing’s ability to retain moisture, implying that a dressing having a low WVTR will be capable of retaining more moisture at the wound surface since dry wounds take longer time to heal [ 101 ]. The results of WVTR are shown in Figure 2 a, where though the difference between all formulations was insignificant (Student’s t -test, p > 0.05), microwave-treated blends tend to have lower WVTR compared with the UB formulation, where MB-3 was found to have significantly lower WVTR compared with UB ( Table 2 ).…”

The Formulation and Characterization of Wound Dressing Releasing S-Nitrosoglutathione from Polyvinyl Alcohol/Borax Reinforced Carboxymethyl Chitosan Self-Healing Hydrogel

“…The mechanical properties of a self-healing hydrogel influence its use, particularly in wound treatment. The higher the tensile stress–strain value, the more integrity and flexibility are assured in the self-healing hydrogel, making it easy to apply to the skin [ 39 , 40 ]. The tensile stress–strain value increases when the concentration of borax as a crosslinking agent increases, as weak van der Waals links are replaced by stronger covalent ones.…”

“…The Young’s modulus value is directly related to the tensile stress–strain value, which increases as the amount of borax increases. Thus, the self-healing hydrogel with the best mechanical properties is F7, which is flexible and has the highest Young’s modulus value, indicating that huge stresses do not produce deformation in the self-healing hydrogel [ 31 , 39 ].…”