Wound Healing Performance in a Moist Environment of Crystalline Glucose/Mannose Film as a New Dressing Material Using...

Although medical wound dressings produced using hydrocolloids and alginate were effective in wound healing, adhesion at the wound site and the resulting delayed healing have been a problem. As a new wound dressing material, crystalline wound dressings produced from glucose/mannose were used in this study, which aimed to clarify the properties, adhesion reduction, and wound healing performance of a new wound dressing. Crystalline glucose/mannose films were obtained via alkali treatment using the solution casting method. The structure of the crystalline glucose/mannose films was analogous to the cellulose II polymorph, and the crystallinity decreased with time in hydrated conditions. The crystalline glucose/mannose films had adequate water absorption of 34 × 10^-4 g/mm³ for 5 min. These allowed crystalline glucose/mannose films to remove excess wound exudates while maintaining a moist wound healing condition. This in vivo study demonstrated the healing effects of three groups, which were crystalline glucose/mannose group > alginate group > hydrocolloid group. At 1 week, the crystalline glucose/mannose group was also found to be non-adhesive to the portion of wound healing. This was evidenced by the earlier onset of the healing process, which assisted in re-epithelization and promotion of collagen formation and maturation. These results implied that crystalline glucose/mannose films were a promising candidate that could accelerate the wound healing process, compared with medical-grade wound dressing and alginate.