The collaborative study “Pullulan hydrogel-immobilized bacterial cellulose membranes with dual-release of vitamin C and E for wound dressing applications” contributed by ITU faculty member Prof. Dr. Ayten Karataş from Molecular Biology and Genetics (MBG) Department was published in the journal “International Journal of Biological Macromolecules”.

Abstract

Damaged skin needs to be repaired as quickly as possible, as long-term skin injuries cause vital problems such as dehydration, imbalance in body temperature, and separation of blood vessels or nerves, in addition to basic immune labelling and sensory sensing processes. Bacterial cellulose (BC) stands out among the polymers used in wound dressings due to its high water holding capacity, excellent mechanical properties and high tensile strength due to its ultra-fine mesh structure, as well as its porous architecture that allows the exchange of materials such as gas and waste, but does not allow cell infiltration. Pullulan (PUL) is another exopolysaccharide that can be used to absorb fluids accumulated in the wound bed due to its high water holding capacity and biocompatibility and has the property of adhesion to cellulosic materials. Considering these features, BC/PUL double-layer membranes with BC on the outer layer and PUL on the inner layer were prepared to be used as a wound dressing within the scope of this study.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by the immune system in order to prevent infection of the wound by microorganisms also damage healthy cells in the area. For this reason, antioxidants can be included in wound dressings to aid wound healing. In this study, vitamin E (VtE), which induces signaling pathways to reduce the negative effect of ROS attack on healthy cells, and vitamin C (VtC), which triggers fibrolast proliferation and collagen deposition during wound healing, were chosen as antioxidants to be used in wound dressing. As a result of the study, it was observed that the release of VtC and VtE accelerated due to the degradation of the PUL layer, and the BC/PUL dressing with VtC and/or VtE had an antioxidant effect on L929 fibroblasts. Moreover, the produced BC/PUL-VtC/VtE dressing has been shown to synergistically promote wound closure and collagen synthesis.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141813022015926?via%3Dihub