Antibacterial polysaccharide-based hydrogel dressing containing plant essential oil for burn wound healing.

BACKGROUND

Polysaccharide-based hydrogels have been developed for many years to treat burn wounds. Essential oils extracted from aromatic plants generally exhibit superior biological activity, especially antibacterial properties. Studies have shown that antibacterial hydrogels mixed with essential oils have great potential for burn wound healing. This study aimed to develop an antibacterial polysaccharide-based hydrogel with essential oil for burn skin repair.

METHODS

Eucalyptus essential oil (EEO), ginger essential oil (GEO) and cumin essential oil (CEO) were employed for the preparation of effective antibacterial hydrogels physically crosslinked by carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) and carbomer 940 (CBM). Composite hydrogels were prepared and characterized using antimicrobial activity studies, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometery, rheological analysis, viscosity, swelling, water loss rate and water vapor transmission rate studies. In addition, the biocompatibility of hydrogels was evaluated by cytotoxicity and cell migration assays and the burn healing ability of hydrogels was tested using burn-induced wounds in mice.

RESULTS

The different essential oils exhibited different mixing abilities with the hydrogel matrix (CMC and CBM), which caused varying levels of reduction in essential oil hydrogel viscosity, swelling and water vapor transmission. Among the developed hydrogels, the CBM/CMC/EEO hydrogel exhibited optimal antibacterial activities of 46.26 ± 2.22% and 63.05 ± 0.99% against and , respectively, along with cell viability (>92.37%) and migration activity. Furthermore, the CBM/CMC/EEO hydrogel accelerated wound healing in mouse burn models by promoting the recovery of dermis and epidermis as observed using a hematoxylin-eosin and Masson's trichrome staining assay. The findings from an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay demonstrated that the CBM/CMC/EEO hydrogel could repair wounds through interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α downregulation and transforming growth factor-β, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and epidermal growth factor upregulation.

CONCLUSIONS

This study successfully prepared a porous CBM/CMC/EEO hydrogel with high antibacterial activity, favorable swelling, optimal rheological properties, superior water retention and water vapor transmission performance and a significant effect on skin repair and . The results indicate that the CBM/CMC/EEO hydrogel has the potential for use as a promising burn dressing material for skin burn repair.