Designment of polydopamine/bacterial cellulose incorporating copper (II) sulfate as an antibacterial wound dressing

Improving antibacterial performance is one of the prerequisites for the clinical application of bacterial cellulose (BC)-based dressings. In this study, a novel copper (Cu) ion loaded BC-based antibacterial wound dressing was prepared via codeposition of polydopamine (PDA) and copper ion. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) results showed that the copper ion/PDA coating was more uniform than the PDA coating, and the 3D nanopore structure of BC was retained in Cu²⁺@PBC. Cu ions were immobilized by forming a chelate with PDA. The thermal stability and mechanical properties of the Cu²⁺@PBC dressing decreased with the addition of copper ions. Cu²⁺@PBC-2 film with a certain amount of copper sulfate used (10 nM) exhibited favorable antibacterial properties against both S. aureus and E. coli without obvious cytotoxicity. The results of the in vivo study also demonstrated that the Cu²⁺@PBC-2 film can eliminate S. aureus infections and inflammatory response, promote collagen deposition, capillary angiogenesis, hair follicle growth and wound healing. These results suggest that the Cu²⁺@PBC-2 film has prospective application as a wound dressing.