Development and in vitro biological evaluation of hybrid wound dressings as potential therapeutics for the treatment of infected wounds
Loading...
Date
2024
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Fort Hare
Abstract
Infected wounds are challenging to treat and are identified as the leading causes of global mortality and morbidity. Improper management can result in amputations if not properly treated with appropriate wound dressings. The mental health of wound patients is great and some of them suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to prolonged hospitalisation. The problem associated with the treatment of infected wounds is that most commercially available wound dressings fail to cater for the wounds by not protecting the wounds from microbial invasion, non-compatibility, and inability to accelerate the wound healing process. Biopolymers such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), and Sodium alginate (SA) were explored for preparation of hydrocolloids (single and double-layer) and cryogels loaded with Capparis sepiaria extract (cs-PE). The wound dressings were characterized by FTIR, SEM, and XRD. The mechanical properties such as tensile strength, thickness, and folding endurance were also evaluated. The tensile strength of the hydrocolloids ranged between 0.346 ± 0.13 to 5.590 ± 0.52 MPa and cryogels were between 0.094 ± 0.03 – 12.261 ± 0.56 Mpa. The surface pH of the dressings was in the range of 4.0-6.8 and the Water Vapour Transmission Rate (WVTR) ranged from 1032 ±2.79 to 9480 ±0.002 g/m2 .day-1 . The prepared biopolymer-based wound dressings incorporated with Capparis sepiaria exhibited good antimicrobial activity. XRD showed the amorphous nature of the wound dressings and the absence of free drugs, revealing their inability to trigger skin irritation. The antibacterial activity, cytotoxicity and wound scratch healing assay results showed that the prepared hydrocolloids and cryogels are effective against selected species of bacteria that are common in infected wounds, non-toxic, induce haemostatic effect, and have excellent capability to promote skin cell migration and proliferation. These features make them potential wound dressings for treating infected wounds.
Description
Masters dissertation
Keywords
Wound healing, Colloids, Drug delivery systems, Biopolymers, Hydrocolloids, Medicinal plants
Citation
Kula, H. (2024) Development and in vitro biological evaluation of hybrid wound dressings as potential therapeutics for the treatment of infected wounds. MSc (Chemistry) dissertation. Alice, South Africa: University of Fort Hare.