Fabrication and evaluation of CMC-Ag and CMC-Zn-based composite films as biobased wound dressings

Abstract

This work aims to enhance the efficiency and properties of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) by introducing silver and zinc ions. CMC incorporated with a silver (CMC-Ag) and CMC incorporated with zinc (CMC-Zn) composites and films were prepared, characterized and evaluated for biological activities respectively. The CMC-Ag and CMC-Zn composites and composite films showed notable antibacterial and antioxidant activities based on increasing Ag and Zn concentrations. The CMC-Ag composite films displayed the highest wound contraction 89.79% followed by CMC-Zn composite films 89.24% on the 10th day with low levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Histological images of wounds treated with these composite films exhibited healed epidermis and a clear view of collagen deposition. These findings demonstrate that our prepared composite films have auspicious features with eloquent antibacterial, antioxidant and wound-healing properties which could be used as biobased wound dressings.

Keywords

• Antimicrobial
• Antioxidant
• CMC
• Composite films
• Wound dressing