Recycled collagen films as biomaterials for controlled drug delivery

Abstract

The present study concerns an innovative technology for the extraction of chromium, which is present in leather industry wastes, to facilitate the application of chromium-free protein (collagen) as a slow-release drug carrier in skin treatment when there are burns, ulcers and infected wounds. The study focuses on the excavation of industrial landfills, which are currently saturated, to recycle residual wet blue leather to obtain purified collagen films. These films, as biocompatible materials, offer great potential as drug carriers. We test here the material's ability to retain/release silver sulfadiazine and its potential to impede the proliferation of various bacteria. The very promising results demonstrate that the material possesses a high capacity for delivery of the drug and great efficiency in inhibiting bacteria proliferation. The obtained results indicate that the treatment proposed for chromium removal is capable of generating a material rich in amino acids that can be transformed into films with no cellular incompatibility, therefore creating a new field of study from a material that presents a serious environmental liability.