A novel chitosan-hyaluronic acid-pullulan composite film wound dressing for effectively inhibiting bacteria and accelerating wound healing

The wound healing process involves not only the recovery of skin barrier integrity, but also reducing the risk of infection and secondary complications. Therefore, utilizing an appropriate antibacterial method plays a key role in accelerating wound healing. In this paper, chitosan (CS) was chosen due to its inherent antibacterial property. Succinyl chitosan grafted hyaluronic acid and pullulan (CS-st-HA-Pu) polymer for wound healing was successfully prepared and characterized. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation showed that the CS-st-HA-Pu film had a three-dimensional cavity junction, which could absorb a large amount of liquid and keep the wound environment moist. The results of skin irritation, cytotoxicity, cell proliferation and hemolysis tests indicated that CS-st-HA-Pu material had good biocompatibility. Moreover, CS-st-HA-Pu material exhibited a certain antibacterial capability against E. coli and S. aureus . In a wound healing of rat, CS-st-HA-Pu film outperformed the control or market band-aid group with respect to acceleration of wound closure. • A series of hyaluronic acid grafted pullulan (HA-st-Pu) polymers were synthesized. • The novel CS/HA-st-Pu wound dressing prepared by physical mixture method . • CS/HA-st-Pu exhibited a certain antibacterial capability. • CS/HA-st-Pu films can promote the wound healing.