Cellulose Hybrid Materials for Wound Dressing with Delayed Drug Release Properties
Abstract
Proper wound management is of paramount importance in order to prevent wound infection and to facilitate the wound healing process. Traditional wound dressing materials such as cotton or linen act as a physical barrier by covering the wound. In doing so, they lower the chance of wound infection occurring. However, these traditional wound dressing materials lack inherent antibacterial properties, nor do they enhance wound healing. The emergence of nanotechnology has led to methods being explored to develop so called “active” wound dressing materials, possessing antibacterial properties or stimulating tissue regrowth. Nanocellulose has been of keen interest as potential wound dressing material due to its beneficial properties (e.g. biocompatibility, gas permeability, exudate removal). Unfortunately, like traditional dressing materials it leaks antibacterial characteristics. To imbue nano-cellulose with antibacterial properties, efforts have been made to combine nanocellulose with traditional antibiotics. Without further modification, these materials typically show low retention of antibiotics, leading to rapid release into the wound environment. In order to control the release of antibiotics, attempts were made to incorporate biocompatible metal oxide nanoparticles with high affinity for antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals. In this way, a cellulose-based wound dressing material was produced permitting the daylight controlled release of the broad-spectrum antibiotic tetracycline. Modifying a commercial bacterial cellulose-based dressing material with metal oxide nanoparticles facilitated sustained release of Tetracycline. Finally, a hybrid material was prepared for the controlled release of ampicillin. The incorporation of metal oxide nanoparticles into nanocellulose-based materials offers a versatile approach to functional, biocompatible, hybrid materials capable of delayed drug release, which may be used as “active” wound dressings.
