Researchers at IIT Guwahati develop Biodegradable, low-cost wound dressing film

A biodegradable and low-cost composite transparent wound treatment film has been developed by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati. The substance, which is based on the integration of a synthetic polymer, is non-toxic in nature and will produce a moist environment that will allow the body to mend itself using endogenous enzymes, according to the researchers. 

In comparison to similar commercial materials, the laboratory-scale development was shown to be at least 50% cheaper. The findings were published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, a peer-reviewed journal. 

Biodegradable Wound Dressing Film

Aritra Das, a PhD scholar at IIT Guwahati, said, "Cotton wool, lint, and gauzes are commonly used wound-dressing materials. They are often deployed to manage the wound exudates and accelerate the healing process. However, a major disadvantage of such materials is with respect to the painful removal exercises that can even damage a healed tissue. Further, their opaqueness becomes a critical issue for sensitive wound applications that demand periodic visualisation-based analysis and treatment procedures."

Das noted, "This invention has the potential to make a huge impact on the field. It emphasizes upon the integration of a synthetic polymer namely polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with a natural polymer starch (St) to eventually achieve a low-cost, biodegradable, non-toxic and transparent composite hydrogel." 

The team has developed a knowledge framework as well as techniques for identifying and optimising polymer hydrogel films for potential wound dressing applications.

Low-Cost Wound Dressing Film

Chandan Das, professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati, stated, "The product has the potential to prevent bacterial invention even after it gets swelled under a hydrolytic environment and loses its occlusivity. The steady weight loss characteristics presented by the polymer network provides essential release of the components, especially citric acid which secures the protective barrier. "Apart from providing an adequate environment towards the growth of the wounded cells, the leached components from the composite as well assist towards the accelerated growth of the healthy cells and tissues."

The laboratory-achieved film constitution can be used for in-vivo characterisations and necessary scale-up studies. The use of malic acid instead of citric acid to improve the properties of PVA-St composite hydrogel films confirmed even more promising results in terms of both property enhancement as a viable wound dressing film and reduction in the retail cost of film manufacture, according to the researchers.

Biodegradable Wound Dressing Film

"The research has been carried out in an experimental and tabletop environment that needs furthering studies towards scale-up as well as in-vivo analysis (real-world applications). Among these, the scale-up-related studies can be addressed after targeting the in-vivo analysis using specimens such as wounded rats. Considering processing costs and probable insights from scale-up studies, the anticipated price of the developed materials is expected to be about 50 per cent or lesser of the commercial price of the mentioned materials," said Ramagopal VS Uppaluri, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati.

The laboratory-achieved film constitution, according to the researchers, can be used for in-vivo characterisations and necessary scale-up studies. The use of malic acid instead of citric acid to improve the properties of PVA-St composite hydrogel films confirmed even more promising results in terms of both property enhancement as a viable wound dressing film and reduction in the retail cost of film manufacture.

With inputs from PTI

Image: PTI