Preparation of poly(vinyl alcohol) film blended with quaternary ammonium chitosan nanoparticles loaded tetracycline for antibacterial wound dressing

Abstract

Poly (vinyl alcohol) films, intended for wound dressing application, can be prepared by a solution casting method. Hence, the aim of this study was to develop a dressing that can enhance the wound healing process. The QCh, quaternized derivative of chitosan, was synthesized by the quaternization process and exhibited excellent water solubility. Water solubility testing, IH NMR, FT-IR, and Zeta potential measurements were used to confirm the success of the quaternization. The degree of quaternization of QCh was in a range of 72.0 ± 0.3 %, and the positively charged surface was about 24-29 mV. The encapsulation of tetracycline (TC) in QCh nanoparticles (QCh_NPs) was prepared by ionic gelation using tripolyphophate (TPP) as crosslinking agent. The success of TC loaded into the QCh_NPs was confirmed by FT-IR, UV-vis spectrophotometry, and XRD technique. The QCh/TC_NPs samples were spherical with an average size of 230-800 nm observed by SEM and DLS. The encapsulation efficiency (EE) of TC loaded into the QCh_NPs was about 72-94 %, with the use of 2.5–12.5 mg/ml of initial TC. The antibacterial activities of PVA films loaded, QCh/TC_NPs containing the ratios of QCh:TC, 1:3, 1:4 and 1:5, against Escherichia coli Enterococcus faecium, and Staphylococcus aureus were evaluated systematically by disk diffusion method (AATCC 147) and broth dilution method. Finally, the indirect cytotoxicity of the wound dressings was studied in mouse fibroblast (L929) and human fibroblast cells by using MTT assay. The MIT assay confirmed that the wound dressings of QCh:TC ,1:3, was a promising candidate of high potential antibacterial wound dressing with non-toxicity and compatibility for cells.