526 Antiseptic Wound Dressings Made of Bacterial Nanocellulose

Abstract Introduction Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is a novel wound dressing that consists of nearly 95% water. This hydrophilicity allows this matrix to absorb and release aqueous substances. We investigated how well BNC can absorb antiseptic substances in order to create on demand antimicrobial wound dressings. Methods Sheets of BNC-based wound dressings were placed in four different antiseptic substances. Punch biopsies were taken at different time points and the concentrations of the antiseptic agent was measured. Two PHMB-containing solutions, one octenidine-containing and one povidone-iodine-containing solution were tested. In addition, the release of the substances from the punch biopsies was examined. To test the efficacy of these novel wound dressing, the antimicrobial activity of the BNC sheets loaded with the antiseptic solutions were tested against Staphylococcus aureus. Results All antiseptic solutions showed excellent uptake into the BNC as well as release. Especially the PHMB- and octenidine-containing solutions already showed high values after only 30 minutes. The overall achieved concentrations were all highly effective against Staphylococcus aureus and were all higher than the minimal bactericidal concentration against MRSA. Conclusions Antiseptic, water-based solutions are excellently absorbed in a very short time and are released steadily over a period of time dependant on the size of the molecules. All tested antiseptic solutions reached effective antibacterial concentrations making them all suitable for the making of antiseptic BNC-based wound dressings. However, when using a commercially available solution and not a solution containing only the active ingredient, it must be taken into consideration that all ingredients have an effect on the uptake of the active substance and thus influence the maximum uptake and release concentration. Applicability of Research to Practice The findings of this experiment are ready to be used in practice.