Probiotic-loaded biomaterial for wound healing and tissue regeneration: a unique medical tool

Deeper skin wounds lead to infections prolonging the healing process resulting in further complications. Although the treatment protocol includes mostly the use of antibiotics, the main challenge comes with their resistance and poor pharmacokinetics. Selective strain specific probiotic infused hydrogel system is one such newer approach in wound management to counter these issues. The highly sensitive probiotic strain needs proper conditions for colonization and protection against external environment. In this study, an economically feasible and simple attempt was made to incorporate the probiotics into a polymeric composite. Locust bean gum and gum odina were allowed to form a polymeric mix, into which Lactobacillus rhamnosus MTCC 5897, a probiotic was incorporated using CaCl₂ as the crosslinker. The probiotic bound composite films were assessed for their microstructure, swelling ability, probiotic stability along with probiotic viability. Additionally, the antioxidant, cytocompatibility and antibacterial properties of the film were investigated. Furthermore, the in vivo wound model on rats indicated satisfactory healing rate along with collagen deposition. Therefore, the results demonstrated preliminary findings of the film that may act as a wound healing tool which further would require several clinical trials to be accepted commercially, and also paves way for further future research on advanced biomaterials focused on living bacterial hydrogel film providing wound healing potency.