Cellulose Acetate in Wound Dressings Formulations: Potentialities and Electrospinning Capability

Abstract

Any open wound is a potential site for microorganisms’ invasion since their presence around us is inevitable. Skin wound healing relies on a series of complex physiochemical processes that remain a big challenge for healthcare professionals, particularly when the wounds are colonized by bacteria. Wound dressings play a major role in wound healing as they manage the wounded site, controlling the moisture balance and protecting the wound from repeated trauma, and by preventing possible infections from developing into more serious complications. Recently, bioactive dressings loaded with drugs and/or antimicrobial agents, allowing for a continuous and sustainable release of these molecules at the wounded site, have appeared in the market. Antimicrobial resistance is a growing health care problem, requiring more effective solutions than antibiotics. As such, nano- and microfibrous mats produced via electrospinning technique and loaded with natural-origin antimicrobial agents have attracted a lot of attention. Various polymers have been applied to engineer nanofibrous electrospun dressings. However, the environment impact of the synthesis and processing methods of synthetic polymers is undesirable. Therefore, the application of cellulose-derived materials (highly abundant polymer of natural-origin) becomes crucial as a green alternative to produce electrospun wound dressings with superior wettability, breathability and high capacity to promote cell proliferation, at relatively low costs. In this paper, different biomolecules loaded onto cellulose acetate (CA)-based polymeric nanofibers were investigated, and their antimicrobial properties were highlighted as alternatives to conventional antibiotics.