Bismuth Oxide Composite-Based Agricultural Waste for Wound Dressing Applications

The purpose of this study was to enhance the antimicrobial activity of bagasse paper by coating the paper with bismuth oxide (Bi₂O₃) and using it to accelerate the process of wound healing. Paper sheets were prepared from sugarcane waste (bagasse). First, the paper sheets were coated with different Bi₂O₃ concentrations to improve the antimicrobial activity of the paper. After that, the paper sheets were allowed to dry in an oven at 50 °C for 3 h. Then, in vitro antimicrobial activity was evaluated against different microbial species, including Gram-negative bacteria (i.e., Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive bacteria (i.e., Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes). The obtained results showed that the paper coated with 25% and 100% Bi₂O₃ had activity against all models of bacteria; however, the paper coated with 100% Bi₂O₃ composite had the strongest inhibitory effect. Then, bagasse paper was coated with 100% Bi₂O₃ and different antibiotics, to investigate their wound-healing potency in a wounded rat model for 14 days. Moreover, the paper coated with 100% Bi₂O₃ inhibited the cellular migration in vitro. Conclusively, coating paper with Bi₂O₃ enhances the wound-healing potential when applied to wounds. This impact could be ascribed to Bi₂O₃'s broad antibacterial activity, which reduced infection and accelerated the healing process.