Carbohydrate Polymer Based Nanocomposite Hydrogel Membrane for Enhanced Antimicrobial Activity

Abstract

Wound healing is an intricate and ever-evolving phenomenon that involves a series of biological processes and multiple stages. Despite the growing utilization of nanoparticles to enhance wound healing through antibacterial activity and cell proliferation, these approaches often overlook important properties such as mechanical stability, degradability, toxicity, and efficacy. Therefore, there is a need for a multifunctional dressing material that can promote optimum wound healing and possess multiple properties. In this study, a Chitosan-PVA membrane crosslinked with vanillin and reinforced with nano-cellulose and CuO-Ag nanoparticles was used for wound healing. Various characterization techniques, including FTIR, SEM, XRD, TGA, mechanical testing, surface roughness and contact angle measurement, were employed to study the morphology and structural properties of the membrane. In addition, biomedical tests such as moisture retention ability, water vapour transmission rate, gel fraction, porosity, swelling behaviour, biodegradability, antimicrobial study, cytotoxicity, and animal models were conducted to evaluate the membrane's performance as a wound healing material. The membrane displayed impressive mechanical strength, measuring as high as 49.985 ± 2.31 MPa, and had a hydrophilic nature, with moisture retention values up to 98.84% and swelling percentages as high as 191.67%. It also demonstrated biodegradable properties and high cell viability of up to 94.63%. Additionally, the fabricated membranes exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, with maximum zone of inhibition measuring 17 ± 0.5mm and 8 ± 0.1mm, respectively. Moreover, the membranes were tested in an animal model and demonstrated superior wound healing properties with wound healing efficiency upto 70%. These results suggest that the fabricated membranes hold potential as an effective wound dressing material.