Abstract
The treatment of chronic wounds represents a major interest for public health both medically and economically. Hence the need for a modern wound dressing that actively promotes the physiological process specific to healing. In this perspective we have studied the development of a new dressing able to offer a serious contribution to the dilemma of the various chronic wounds. A dressing grafted with two natural polysaccharides known for their multiple biological effects, chitosan and a carbohydrate polymer extracted from Commiphora myrrha (CMP). We began by studying the grafting of the two natural biopolymers onto cellulose dressings, via a polyacrylic acid as a crosslinking agent. An optimization study, revealed the different grafting parameters, the polymer concentration as well as the heat-setting time and temperature. After, different characterization techniques were carried out in order to evaluate the effectiveness of our grafting. The swelling test revealed a hydrophilicity enhancement which increased with the degree of grafting, a desired property for effective dressings. Infrared characterization as well as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA and DTA) confirmed the binding mode and the permanence of our grafting. XRD and mechanical characterization showed no change in the crystallinity or in the original mechanical properties of the functionalized dressings. Morphological SEM study, confirmed the presence of our grafting as well as its mode of distribution. Finally, a bacteriological study conducted, showed a clear improvement of the antimicrobial behavior of cellulosic wound dressings functionalized by our combined natural biopolymers.