A novel design of wound bandage using heparin-polyvinylpyrrolidone/TiO2 nanocomposite to improved antibacterial treatment and burn wound healing effect: In vitro and in vivo evaluation
In our current study, porous heparin-polyvinylpyrrolidone/TiO2 nanocomposite (HpPVP/TiO2) bandage were prepared via the incorporation of TiO2 into HpPVP hydrogels for biomedical applications such as burn infection. The effect of the HpPVP hydrogels and the nanoparticles of TiO2 composition on the functional group and the surface properties of the as-fabricated bandages were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). The presence of TiO2 nanoparticles created the internal structure of the HpPVP hydrogel that aids in a homogeneous porous structure, as indicated by the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The size distribution of the TiO2 nanoparticles was measured using a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The studies on the mechanical properties of the HpPVP hydrogel indicate that the addition of TiO2 nanoparticles increases its strength. The prepared HpPVP/TiO2 nanocomposite dressing has excellent antimicrobial activity were tested against bacterial species (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli) and has good biocompatibility against human dermal fibroblast cells (HFFF2) for biological applications. In addition, in vivo evaluations in Kunming mice exposed that the as-fabricated HpPVP/TiO2 nanocomposite bandages increased the wound curing and facilitated accelerate skin cell construction along with collagen development. The synergistic effects of the HpPVP/TiO2 nanocomposite hydrogel dressing material, such as its excellent hydrophilic nature, good bactericidal activity, biocompatibility and wound closure rate through in vivo test makes it a suitable candidate for burn infections.