Lyophilised wafers have been shown to have potential as a modern dressing for mucosal wound healing. The wafer absorbs
wound exudates and transforms into a gel, thus providing a moist environment which is essential for wound healing. The objective of this study was to develop a
carboxymethyl cellulose wafer containing antimicrobials to promote wound healing and treat
wound infection. The pre-formulation studies began with four
polymers,
sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (NaCMC),
methylcellulose (MC),
sodium alginate and
xanthan gum, but only NaCMC and MC were chosen for further investigation. The wafers were characterised by physical assessments,
solvent loss, microscopic examination, swelling and hydration properties,
drug content uniformity, drug release and efficacy of antimicrobials. Three of the antimicrobials,
neomycin trisulphate
salt hydrate,
sulphacetamide sodium and
silver nitrate, were selected as model drugs. Among the formulations, NaCMC wafer containing
neomycin trisulphate exhibited the most desirable
wound dressing characteristics (i.e., flexibility, sponginess, uniform wafer texture, high content
drug uniformity) with the highest in vitro drug release and the greatest inhibition against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. In conclusion, we successfully developed a NaCMC lyophilised wafer containing antimicrobials, and this formulation has potential for use in mucosal
wounds infected with bacteria.