In-vitro investigation of chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol/TiO₂ composite membranes for wound regeneration

Bacterial infections significantly delay the physiological wound healing process and can cause further damage to the wound region. In the current work, we aim to design titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs) incorporated with chitosan (Chi) and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) film using the casting method and to study their potential for faster wound healing. The prepared TiO₂ NPs were analyzed for physicochemical properties, and TEM results showed an average particle size of 39.6 nm. The nanocomposite films were scrutinized by FTIR, XRD, and TGA analyses. The effective incorporation of the nanoparticles and their uniform dispersion within the Chi/PVA matrix was confirmed through SEM analysis. The composite films exhibited excellent hydrophilic properties (64.3°), along with favorable swelling and degradation rates, and mechanical properties similar to native skin tissue, ensuring comfortable interaction with wound beds. The better hemocompatibility, with an erythrocyte lysis percentage of 3.52 %, further supports the wound healing properties of these films. Additionally, composite films possess excellent antibacterial activity against wound pathogens such as B. subtilis and E. coli. Furthermore, an in vitro wound closure rate of 92.3 % at 48 h was observed for the TiO₂ incorporated film (CPT3) using fibroblast HIH3T3 cells. The results suggest that it could be a promising biomaterial for wound healing application.