Cotton gauze wound-dressing patches loaded with dapsone derivative and silver nanoparticles for promoting wound healing via antibacterial acceleration function

Abstract

The development of multifunctional wound dressings with strong tissue adhesion, excellent bioactivity and effective antimicrobial properties is highly desirable for full-thickness skin wound healing. In this study, wound dressing patches were developed using a functionalized cotton dressing with a novel dapsone-based derivative (SBPBTT) and gelatin silver nanoparticles (AgNPs/Gel) for the rapid treatment of infected wounds. The structures of the AgNPs/Gel colloidal solution and modified cotton gauze were studied by electron microscopy. Both morphological observation and chemical compositions using electron microscopy (TEM/SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of the treated modified cotton gauze confirm the integration of nanosized AgNPs (average particle size 124 ± 31 nm) onto the cotton fibers. The application of an AgNPs/SBPBTT¹/gel coating significantly altered the properties of the cotton fabric. While untreated cotton was stable, the treated fabric exhibited a dramatic initial increase in hydrophilicity, with water uptake rising to ∼200%. This was accompanied by rapid biodegradation, with weight loss of up to 18.3% within 24 h. Our findings confirmed that the release rate of the prepared composite from the cotton gauze was an important factor to protect it from bacterial infection, when carried out at a suitable rate. In addition, an increase in composite concentration notably reduced potential infection by the tested bacterial pathogens. The ability of cotton-gauze-loaded material to serve as a bactericidal agent was also evaluated compared to reference antibiotics using standard microbial skin pathogens. Interestingly, a significant reduction in bacterial growth, particularly in the case of Bacillus cereus, followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, was clearly dependent on the concentration and release rate of the loaded-AgNPs/gel.