The Effect of Adding Modified Chitosan on the Strength Properties of Bacterial Cellulose for Clinical Applications

Currently, several materials for the closure of the dura mater (DM) defects are known. However, the long-term results of their usage reveal a number of disadvantages. The use of antibiotics and chitosan is one of the major trends in solving the problems associated with infectious after-operational complications. This work compares the mechanical properties of samples of bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) impregnated with Novochizol™ and vancomycin with native BNC and preserved and native human DM. An assessment of the possibility of controling the mechanical properties of these materials by changing their thickness has been performed by statistical analysis methods. A total of 80 specimens of comparable samples were investigated. During the analysis, the results obtained, the factor of Novochizol™ addition has provided a statistically significant impact on the strength properties (Fisher Criteria p-value 0.00509 for stress and 0.00112 for deformation). Moreover, a stronger relationship between the thickness of the samples and their ultimate load was shown: R2=0.236 for BNC + Novochizol™ + vancomycin, compared to R2=0.0405 for native BNC. Using factor analysis, it was possible to show a significant effect of modified chitosan (Novochizol™) on the ultimate stress (p-value = 0.005).