A multifunctional vanillin-infused chitosan-PVA hydrogel reinforced by nanocellulose and CuO-Ag nanoparticles as antibacterial wound dressing

Wound healing is an intricate and ever-evolving phenomenon that involves a series of biological processes and multiple stages. Despite the growing utilization of nanoparticles to enhance wound healing, these approaches often overlook properties like mechanical stability, toxicity, and efficacy. Hence, a multifunctional wound dressing is fabricated using Chitosan-PVA membrane crosslinked with vanillin and reinforced with nano-cellulose and CuO-Ag nanoparticles in this study. FTIR, SEM, and XRD were employed to study the morphology and structural properties of the membrane. Biomedical tests including biodegradability, antimi-crobial study, cytotoxicity, and animal models were conducted to evaluate the membrane's performance as a wound healing material. The membrane displayed impressive mechanical strength, measuring as high as 49.985 +/- 2.31 MPa, and had a hydrophilic nature, with moisture retention values up to 98.84 % and swelling per-centages as high as 191.67 %. It also demonstrated biodegradable properties and high cell viability of up to 92.30 %. Additionally, the fabricated membranes exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, with maximum zone of inhibition measuring 16.8 +/- 0.7 mm and 9.2 +/- 0.1 mm, respectively. Moreover, the membranes also demonstrated superior wound healing properties. These results suggested great potential of fabricated membranes as an effective wound dressing material.