Bioactive glass enhanced alginate / carboxymethyl cellulose funcional dressings Li2O-ZrO2-SiO2

The healing of skin injuries is crucial for the human body, but the presence of harmful bacteria can be detrimental. Conventional dressings provide protection but do not promote active healing. In contrast, functional dressings can enhance regeneration by regulating moisture, facilitating gas exchange, preventing infection, and may even contain therapeutic compounds. Li2O-ZrO2-SiO2 (LZS) bioactive glasses possess antibacterial and regenerative properties but have not yet been explored in wound dressings. Therefore, this work aims to evaluate the potential of LZS glass to be used as an antibacterial biomaterial to obtain functional dressings. The antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was considered for this purpose. In-vitro biological studies were assessed by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide), and DNA damage. Alginate and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) dressings were prepared with the addition of LZS in a minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The dressings' bioactivity was assessed by exposing them to a simulated body fluid (SBF) and analyzing their structure and microstructure. The glass efficiently inhibited the tested microorganisms, with an MBC of 100 mg/mL. LZS glasses exhibited no cytotoxicity. The bioactive glassincorporated dressings demonstrated appropriate thickness and fluid absorption capacity for application in wound treatment. The deposition of a calcium phosphate layer on the surface of the dressings proved its bioactivity. The optimized design exhibited a tensile strength of 0.28 MPa and an elongation of 15.63 %. The functional dressings obtained have potential for applications in tissue repair where bacterial proliferation is a concern.