A Transparent Wound Dressing Based On Bacterial Cellulose Whisker And Poly (2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate)

The BC Whisker derived from acid hydrolyzed bacterial cellulose(BC)keeps its original physical and chemical properties of BC,such as: high absorption capacity and water holding capacity,moreover its transmittance can be up to 85%.Poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate)(PHEMA)is a manual kind of pressure-resistant transparent hydrogel with high hydrophilicity and compatibility.PHEMA contains about 40% of equilibrium water.The purpose of this study was to prepare a transparent composite hydrogel(PHEMA-BC w.)by mixing BC Whisker with hydroxyethyl methacrylate(HEMA),with the purpose of holding its transparency properties and increasing water content.Then Ag was coated on the surface of previous prepared hydrogels.Analyzed hydrogel samples physical and chemical properties,antibacterial and biocompatible advantages.The internal structure of PHEMA-BC w.was more loose and porous than PHEMA hydrogel.By the comparison of two hydrogels properties--hydrophilicity,water content,transparency,tensile strength and cytotoxicity,the results showed that the transmittance of the two hydrogels were more than 90% and PHEMA-BC w.had 20%-40% higher water content than PHEMA.The loading of silver particles overcame non-antibacterial properties of PHEMA-BC w.hydrogels.The silver-coated composite hydrogel dressing(PHEMA-BC w.-Ag)gained a strong bactericidal effect of 99% and 90% of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.The silver-coated transparent composite hydrogel dressing(PHEMA-BC w.-Ag)can provide a humid environment for wound sites,absorb a large amount of wound exudate,have a strong antibacterial property to prevent bacterial invasion.In addition,depending on the special shape needs of wound site,this soft composite hydrogel can be treated into any shapes.Because of its excellent performance,it has a great potential application value.