Bioactive wound dressing using bacterial cellulose/dextran biopolymers loaded with pomegranate peel extract: Preparation, characterization and biological properties

The development of bioactive wound dressing to improve the wound-healing process is an important issue in wound care. In the present study, the pomegranate peel extract (PPE) as a bioactive compound was immobilized on bacterial cellulose (BC)- dextran (DEX) biopolymers to develop a bioactive wound dressing. The suitability of prepared bioactive dressing was investigated using physicochemical, morphological and biological properties. Scanning electron microscopy, X-Ray diffraction and Fourier-transform spectroscopy raveled that PPE was incorporated successfully on the composite films. The results showed that the lower proportion of DEX (10% w/v) yielded smooth and transparent composite film with excellent thermal resistance. A significantly robust antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria by the wound dressing was found. The highest growth inhibition zone was found against Staphylococcus aureus strain with a diameter of 25 mm. In addition, wound healing on mice models exhibited an excellent potential of the PPE formulation therapy with a tentative mechanism of action related to improved collagen deposition and reduced inflammatory reaction. So that, the wound was completely healed after 14 days of observation using composite film, whereas the control group showed less than 40% of wound healing. These findings suggest that the BC-DEX-PPE bioactive dressing is a very promising material for combating biofilm-associated infections in biomedical and public health fields.