Highly Absorbent Egg White/Carbomer-940 Hydrofilm as a Potential Diabetic Wound Dressing

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is the most critical problem in diabetic patients. Managing exudate in this kind of wound presents significant challenges in clinics. Advanced wound dressings serve as the most effective approach to managing DFU. Herein, a highly absorbent hydrofilm is presented through a combination of egg white (EW) and Carbomer-940, benefiting from the bioactivity of the EW component and superabsorption capacity of Carbomer-940. The crystallinity of samples rises due to the presence of Carbomer-940. Regarding the high water absorption capacity of Carbomer-940, the swelling ratio and water-holding capacity of samples are also improved via its incorporation of up to 1005%. In contrast, the transmission of water vapor and in vitro degradation rate decreases as Carbomer-940 powers the crystallinity of hydrofilms. Carbomer-940 incorporation in the EW structure accelerates protein release during the time, while this acceleration is partially compensated by the crystallization effect. The cell viability assay demonstrates no toxicity as well as high human foreskin fibroblast cell proliferation for the hybrid hydrofilm sample, where the cell migration is positively affected in the presence of the bioactive components extracted from the dressing. Taken together, the optimized hybrid hydrofilm could be suggested as a promising wound dressing for managing DFUs.