Improvement of the mechanical properties of chitosan‐alginate wound dressings containing silver through the addition of a biocompatible silicone rubber

Abstract

The benefits of associating chitosan with alginate for the production of wound dressings are well documented. However, the mechanical resistance of these devices is limited. This work aimed to improve the mechanical properties of chitosan‐alginate membranes both with and without the microbicide agent AlphaSan® RC2000 (silver sodium hydrogen zirconium phosphate) by incorporating the liquid silicone rubber Silpuran® 2130 A/B. Membranes containing AlphaSan® RC2000 but without Silpuran® 2130 A/B have increased opacity, thickness, and water absorption, but low stability in water and tensile strength. The silicone gel remained in the structure of the formulations even after successive washing steps and its inclusion in the membranes reduced their thickness and swelling in aqueous media, improving their homogeneity, adhesiveness, stability, tensile strength, and flexibility. Thus, the addition of Silpuran® 2130 A/B proved to contribute positively to many relevant, particularly mechanical, properties of chitosan‐alginate wound dressings whether or not they contained AlphaSan® RC2000. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41686.

Ciprofloxacin-loaded sodium alginate/poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) electrospun fibrous mats for wound healing

“…However, natural polymers exhibit a large variation in physicochemical characteristics due to the fact that they are materials derived from animals and plants from different sources and forms [19], and in addition some natural polymers cannot be electrospun into fibers owing to a few reasons such as high viscosity associated with their high molecular weight, degradation in solution, and difficulty to dissolve in adequate solvents [20,21]. Furthermore, nanofibers prepared from most natural polymers lack the desired mechanical properties with regards to less than 10% elongation at break [22]. In contrast to natural polymers, synthetic polymers have more diverse physicochemical properties, including some being hydrophilic and others hydrophobic, good mechanical properties, and they are often also cheap, show little batch to batch variations and a higher degree of purity [21,23].…”

Biodegradable Polymers: Opportunities and Challenges

“…Aim of the study/Results obtained [86] Chitosan Evaluation of the effects of adding the silicone liquid rubber to formulations of chitosan and alginate membranes both with and without silver-containing antimicrobial agent, to improve the overall mechanical properties of the dressings. It found that membranes containing the silicone rubber had a more homogeneous appearance and adequate flexibility and adhesiveness, increasing in tensile strength, both with and without the antimicrobial agent.…”

Technological Microbiology: Development and Applications

“…Polysaccharides of microbial origin, such as chitosan, alginate, xanthan gum, and cellulose, are another class of biomaterials that have gained considerable interest for medical use because of their properties, including that they are renewable, biodegradable, and mimic the components of the extracellular matrix, which make them key elements in biological processes (Pires and Moraes, 2015; Pires et al, 2015). Chitosan can be easily recovered from the cell wall of fungi such as A. niger, Rhizopus oryzae, Cunninghamella elegans , and Mucor indicus , among others (Pochanavanich and Suntornsuk, 2002; Franco et al, 2004; Ruholahi et al, 2016; Abdel-Gawad et al, 2017).…”