Highly biocompatible collagen-Delonix regia seed polysaccharide hybrid scaffolds for antimicrobial wound dressing

Biomaterials based entirely on biological resources are ideal for tissue engineering applications. Here we report the preparation of hybrid collagen scaffolds comprising gulmohar seed polysaccharide (GSP) and cinnamon bark extract as cross-linking agent. (1)H NMR spectrum of GSP confirms the presence of galactose and mannose in the ratio of 1:1.54, which was further corroborated using FT-IR. The hybrid scaffolds show better enzyme and thermal stability in contrast to pure collagen scaffold probably due to weak interactions from GSP and covalent interaction through cinnamaldehyde. Gas permeability and scanning electron microscopic analysis show that the porosity of the hybrid scaffolds is slightly reduced with the increase in the concentration of GSP. The infrared and circular dichroic spectral studies show that the secondary structure of the collagen did not change after the interaction with GSP and cinnamaldehyde. The hybrid scaffolds stabilized with cinnamaldehyde show good antimicrobial activity against the common multi-drug resistant wound pathogens. These results suggest that the prepared hybrid scaffolds have great potential for antimicrobial wound dressing applications.