Composite Scaffolds Based on Bacterial Cellulose for Wound Dressing Application

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a biocompatible material with excellent properties for wound dressings.
• A key limitation of BC is its lack of inherent antibacterial activity, restricting its use in infectious wounds.
• Developing BC-based composites with antimicrobial properties is crucial for advanced wound care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate flexible bacterial cellulose-based polycaprolactone (BCP) membranes.
• To functionalize BCP membranes with gentamicin (GEN) and streptomycin (SM) for enhanced wound healing.
• To evaluate the cytocompatibility, wettability, antimicrobial activity, and drug release kinetics of the composite scaffolds.

Main Methods:

• Polycaprolactone (PCL) impregnation into bacterial cellulose (BC) matrix to form BCP membranes.
• Functionalization of BCP membranes with gentamicin (GEN) and streptomycin (SM).
• Characterization using FT-IR, SEM, XRD, EDX; in vitro cytocompatibility assays with BHK-21 cells; wettability tests; antimicrobial assays against E. coli and S. aureus; drug release studies.

Main Results:

• FT-IR, SEM, and XRD confirmed successful PCL integration and high crystallinity (∼86%) in BCP films.
• In vitro studies demonstrated excellent cytocompatibility and hydrophilicity of the BC and BCP scaffolds.
• The drug-loaded scaffolds exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against E. coli and S. aureus, with controlled release of GEN (∼42%) and SM (∼58%) over 48 hours.

Conclusions:

• The developed drug-functionalized cellulosic scaffolds possess desirable properties for wound dressing applications.
• These composite materials show potential for aiding infectious wound healing due to their biocompatibility and antimicrobial efficacy.
• The controlled drug release profile further enhances their suitability for advanced biomedical applications.