Modification of cotton gauzes with poly(acrylic acid) and poly(methacrylic acid) using gamma radiation for drug loading studies

Cotton gauzes are highly versatile medical devices for treating wounds due to their excellent absorption capacity and because they avoid contact between the wound and the environment. As materials of priority use, it is possible to take advantage of their ubiquity and use them as delivery systems for antimicrobial drugs that effectively treat skin wound infections. For this reason, this study proposes the modification of cotton gauzes through the grafting of pH-sensitive polymers, such as poly (acrylic acid) and poly (methacrylic acid), as a means of achieving drug delivery. The grafting process was carried out using gamma radiation, and the successful modification of the devices was verified with analytical techniques such as SEM, FTIR-ATR, TGA, and DSC, finding the novel properties of these modified materials. The grafted gauzes show a critical pH close to 4.7, which would allow for its application to some acidic skin wounds. In addition to the pH-buffering properties of the material, it was possible to load vancomycin onto the grafted materials as a pathway for the development of antimicrobial materials.