Abstract
Wounds often develop infections caused by microbes. Preventing these microbes from causing infection is essential for wound healing. The current study therefore focuses on the preparation of an Fp (cellulose) scaffold coated with antimicrobial clindamycin drug (Cl) and chitosan (Cs) for use in wound dressings. Fp was used as a control. Before testing the efficacy of ClCFp scaffolds against bacterial strains and evaluating their cytocompatibility, they were thoroughly characterized using microscopic, spectroscopic, BET, and X-ray techniques. These methods confirmed coating of Cs and Cl drug on Fp. No significant structural damage to the Fp was observed. The porosity and surface area were found to decrease with coating. Invitro studies with HGF cells showed that the cells not only adhered to the scaffolds and proliferated, but also exhibited good viability. The results of the antibacterial tests showed that ClCFp scaffold was effective against both E. coli, "gram-negative" bacteria, and S. aureus, "gram-positive bacteria". Docking studies performed for the transcription termination factor Rho of E. coli and penicillin-binding protein 2 of S. aureus against the Cl drug confirmed the interaction between the Cl drug and bacterial proteins. Therefore, the ClCFp composite scaffolds have good prospects for biomedical applications and especially for wound dressings.