Different materials in form of sponge,
hydrogel and film have been developed and formulated for treating and dressing
burn wounds. In this study, the potential of
Laponite, a gel forming
clay, in combination with an
antimicrobial agent (
mafenide), as a
wound dressing material was tested in vitro.
Laponite/
mafenide (Lap/Maf)
hydrogel was formulated in three different ratios of Lap/Maf 1:1, 1:2, 1:3.
Laponite/
mafenide/
alginate (Lap/Maf/Alg) film was also formulated by combining Lap/Maf gel (1:1) with
alginate. Intercalation rate of
mafenide into the layers of
Laponite nanoparticles and physico-chemical properties, including
wound dressing characteristics of materials were studied using various analytical methods. Furthermore, the degradation of materials and the release profile of
mafenide were investigated in simulated
wound exudates fluid and antibacterial effectiveness of the eluted
mafenide was tested on a range of bacterial species. The cytotoxicity of materials was also evaluated in skin fibroblast culture. The results showed that
mafenide molecules were intercalated between the nano-sized layers of
Laponite. The eluted
mafenide showed active antibacterial effects against all three tested bacteria. All intercalated
mafenide released from Lap/Maf 1:1 and 1:2 gel formulations and nearly 80% release from 1:3 formulation during test period. No significant difference was observed in release profile of
mafenide between Lap/Maf/Alg film and Lap/Maf formulations.
Wound dressing tests on Lap/Maf/Alg film showed it is a breathable dressing and has capacity to absorb
wound exudates. The study showed that prepared Lap/Maf composite has the potential to be used as an
antibiotic eluting gel or film for wound healing application. Additionally,
Laponite has shown benefits in wound healing processes by releasing Mg(2+)
ions and thereby reducing the cytotoxic effect of
mafenide on fibroblast cells.