In vitro assessment of green polyhydroxybutyrate/chitosan blend loaded with kaempferol nanocrystals as a potential dressing for infected wounds

Abstract

Despite the major medical advancements in recent decades, treating infected wounds successfully remains a challenge. In this research, a functional blend of Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and Chitosan (Cs) was developed for wound infection mitigation with tailored biological and physicochemical properties. Water insoluble kaempferol (KPF) was pre-formulated to water soluble KPF nanocrystals (KPF-NCs) with fine particle size of 145±11 nm, and high colloidal stability (−31±0.4 mV) to improve its drug transdermal delivery. PHB-Cs-KPF-NCs (1:2 ratio) film owned the best physical properties in terms of high breathability, thermal stability and mechanical strength (33±1 MPa). Besides, XRD and FTIR findings indicated the interaction between Cs, PHB and KPF, reducing the film crystallinity. The scanning electron microscopy of the film displayed a highly interconnected porous morphology. KPF-NCs were integrated in PHB-Cs matrix with a marked encapsulation efficiency of 96.6%. The enhanced drug-loading film showed a sustain release pattern of KPF-NCs over 48 h. Interestingly, the developed blend possessed an impressive blood clotting capacity within 20 min. Furthermore, we presented a new naturally-sourced mixture of Cs+KPF-NCs with powerful antibacterial effects against MDR Staphylococcus aureus and Acentibacter baumannii at very low concentrations. The membrane evidenced a remarkable antibacterial nature in vitro with almost 100% cell viability reduction against the study strains after 48 h. By virtue of these advantages, this green blend is highly proposed for optimal wound care.

Special Features of Polyester-Based Materials for Medical Applications

“…Kaempferol nanocrystals (KPF-NCs) loaded into a PHB/chitosan (CS) film could be another interesting blend for wound dressings, and had a remarkable blood clotting capacity for 20 min [ 178 ]. An accelerated improvement in wound healing was reported in the case of acrylate-endcapped urethane-based polymers (AUPs) prepared as films and electrospun mats [ 179 ].…”

Post-Synthetic Enzymatic and Chemical Modifications for Novel Sustainable Polyesters

“…PHA granules accumulate inside the bacterial cells during the fermentation process under imbalanced cultivation conditions, i.e. in the presence of excess carbon source(s) and if essential nutrients such as phosphorous, sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen or potassium are not sufficiently available ( Rofeal et al, 2021 ). If the microbes are starved of a carbon source in presence of abundant other nutrients, they start to produce intracellular PHA depolymerases and dimer hydrolases to degrade the accumulated PHA and continue to grow ( Müller and Seebach, 1993 ).…”

Natural Biocidal Compounds of Plant Origin as Biodegradable Materials Modifiers

“…Zein-kaempferol coatings improve the mechanical and bioactive properties of scaffolds, thus their tissue engineering application is justified [ 175 ]. The biopolymer-based membrane doped with kaempferol could be potentially applied as an infected wound dressing [ 176 ]. The study of gelatin nanoparticles doped with kaempferol confirms that it could be used as an eye drops for certain eye diseases [ 177 ].…”