Investigation of the performance of natural composite wound dresses for biomedical applications

Wound dressings play a significant role in the wound healing process by providing protection against potential infections and harmful microorganisms, absorbing exudate, and contributing to medication application when necessary. Among synthetic wound dressings, alginate wound dressings belong to a favored category due to their ability to fulfill many of these expectations. To enhance the effects of wound dressings, derived from medicinal aromatic plants, essential oils can be incorporated, which can aid in promoting the healing process, preventing infections, and alleviating pain on the wound surface. This study aims to synthesize alginate wound dressings fortified with essential oils from St. John's Wort for its healing effects, Laurel for its antibacterial properties, and Lavender for its pain-relieving attributes. An ideal wound dressing should maintain a moist environment to prevent drying of the wound, have optimal permeability without cutting off contact with air, possess a capacity to absorb excessive wound fluid, shield the wound from foreign microorganisms, infections, and contamination, stimulate epidermal growth factor to expedite healing, offer protection against external mechanical factors, facilitate easy removal and replacement, avoid causing allergic or toxic reactions, and aid in reducing pain at the wound site. In this study, alginate films containing 3% essential oils from St. John's Wort, Laurel, and Lavender were synthesized. The prepared films were subjected to analysis for film thickness, solubility in water, liquid holding capacity, water vapor permeability, and antibacterial activities. Additionally, structural characterization was conducted through SEM and FT-IR analyses.