Thymol enriched bacterial cellulose hydrogel as effective material for third degree burn wound repair

Bacterial cellulose is well known for its excellent contributions in biomedical applications due to its superior properties. However the lack of antimicrobial property restricts its use in wound healing. To address the complications in third degree burns, thymol enriched bacterial cellulose hydrogel (BCT) was developed in this study. The incorporation of thymol into bacterial cellulose along with its chemical and thermal changes were investigated by FTIR, TGA and DSC respectively. Antimicrobial studies revealed that BCT possess excellent biocidal activity against burn specific pathogens. The in vitro biocompatibility studies were carried out in mouse 3T3 fibroblast cells. The BCT hydrogel facilitated the growth of fibroblast cells, exhibiting low toxicity, and increased cell viability. The burn wound healing efficiency of the BCT hydrogel was examined in vivo using female albino Wistar rats. Histopathological studies reveal that the wound treated with BCT hydrogel showed faster wound closure than BC and control groups. All these findings, suggest that BCT hydrogel can be used as resourceful and natural burn wound dressing material.