Antibacterial wound dressing: plasma treatment effect on chitosan impregnation and in situ synthesis of silver chloride on cellulose surface
Abstract
The treatment of wounds often deals with bacterial infections which complicate healing. Our aim was to prepare cellulose wound dressings with antibacterial properties. A cellulose dressing was exposed to argon plasma discharge, impregnated with chitosan and then silver chloride particles were precipitated in situ on the dressing's surface. The effect of plasma treatment on both the chitosan impregnation and silver chloride precipitation was studied, together with the antibacterial properties of the prepared dressings. The materials were characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), goniometry, absorption atomic spectroscopy (AAS) and zeta potential measurement. The antibacterial potency of the dressings was assessed using environmental bacterial strains of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Plasma treatment had a positive effect on both chitosan impregnation and the silver chloride precipitation. The antibacterial tests performed on these wound dressings exhibited growth prevention of the two representative strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. These results are of medical interest.
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