Gallium-doped borosilicate bioactive glass modified bacterial cellulose functional dressing for infective wound

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Infected wounds pose significant challenges to healing.
• Bacterial cellulose (BC) offers a promising scaffold for wound dressings.
• Enhancing BC with bioactive components can improve its therapeutic efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel gallium-doped borosilicate bioactive glass (Ga³⁺@BBG) coated bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofiber dressing (Ga³⁺@BBG/BC).
• To evaluate the physicochemical, mechanical, and biological properties of the developed wound dressing.
• To assess the efficacy of Ga³⁺@BBG/BC in promoting infected wound healing in vivo.

Main Methods:

• Sol-gel synthesis and hydrolysis to fabricate Ga-doped BBG.
• Coating of BBG onto BC nanofibers to create Ga³⁺@BBG/BC.
• Characterization using TEM, IR, and AFM.
• Assessment of mechanical properties, water absorption, antibacterial activity, and cytocompatibility.
• In vivo studies on infected wound models.

Main Results:

• Ga³⁺@BBG/BC exhibited a nanofiber 3D network structure with modified porosity and increased fiber diameter.
• Nanocoatings of Ga-doped BBG were successfully formed on BC nanofibers.
• The dressing showed acceptable mechanical properties and water absorption.
• Ga³⁺@BBG/BC demonstrated antibacterial properties, enhanced cytocompatibility, and promoted NIH3T3 fibroblast proliferation and HUVEC migration.
• In vivo studies showed accelerated infected wound healing within 12 days, with reduced inflammation, increased collagen deposition, hair follicle growth, and neovascularization.

Conclusions:

• Ga³⁺@BBG/BC is a promising functional wound dressing for infected wounds.
• The dressing effectively promotes wound healing by modulating inflammation and stimulating tissue regeneration.
• Further preclinical and clinical studies are warranted to validate its human therapeutic potential.