Bacterial cellulose-zinc oxide nanocomposites as a novel dressing system for burn wounds

Bacterial cellulose possesses physical and mechanical properties of an ideal wound dressing material but lack of antimicrobial activity limits its biomedical applications. Therefore, in current study, the inherent wound healing characteristics of bacterial cellulose and antimicrobial properties of zinc oxide nanoparticles were combined. The reinforcement (impregnation) of zinc oxide nanoparticles into bacterial cellulose sheets was confirmed through various characterization techniques. The antimicrobial capacity of bacterial cellulose-zinc oxide nanocomposites was tested against common burn pathogens. The in-vivo wound healing and tissue regeneration of the nanocomposites was investigated in burn BALB^c mice model. Characterization techniques confirmed the successful impregnation of nanoparticles into bacterial cellulose. Bacterial cellulose-zinc oxide nanocomposites exhibited 90%, 87.4%, 94.3% and 90.9% activity against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Citrobacter freundii, respectively. Bacterial cellulose-zinc oxide nanocomposites treated animals showed significant (66%) healing activity. The histological analysis revealed fine tissue regeneration in composites treated group. These findings suggest that bacterial cellulose-zinc oxide nanocomposites could be a novel dressing material for burns.