Development of bacterial cellulose-based wound dressing material : effect of cell immobilization

Abstract

Bacterial cellulose (BC) pellicle is a polysaccharide produced by Acetobacler xylinum. BC pellicle is a good candidate for being used as a wound dressing material because it can provide a moist and promote the wound healing process. However, in a large scale production of BC pellicle the uniformity of thickness of thickness of BC pellicle and its durability are matters of great concerns. In this study, Acetobacter xylinum cells were immobilized on surfaces of a cotton fabric before cultivation in a culture medium in order to produce a BC composite reinforeed with the cotton fabric. Furthermore, a surface treatment of the cotton fabric by using plasma and chemical treatments were performed in order to enhance the attachment of the bacterial cells on the surfaced. The results on cytotoxicity evaluated by MTT assay indicated that the BC composites were non-toxic to L929 cells. The SEM images showed that density of cellulose fibers attached on the cotton fabric was greater than non-immobilized one. Although the production yields of BC composites obtained by applying cell immobilization techniques were slightly less than that produced by traditional techniques (non-immobilization), the use of less starting cell inoculum and the uniformity of BC deposited on the cotton fabric are the benefits of applying cell immobilization on the production of BC composites.