Antibacterial properties acquiring by microparticular systems on the leathers to use in the diabetic footwear manufacturing

Diabetes disease is a global problem. At the present time, the number of sick people and the amount of money spent on the treatment of the disease has been increasing. 20% of the patients with diabetes have been exposed to foot ulcer. It is aimed in this study to produce micro-particles containing antibacterial agent for using on leathers which are to be used in manufacturing diabetic shoes; to apply these micro-particles on leathers via finishing process and to perform necessary tests. Micro-capsules were produced by spraying and ustulation of a mixture of active agent and polymers which were prepared in various formulations. Characterization studies were performed for the acquired micro-particles and were applied on leathers which are to be used in manufacturing diabetic shoes. Some physical and microbiological tests were performed on the leathers after the finishing process in order to give some insights about daily use performance of diabetic shoes. After performing microbiological tests and delivery studies for determining the antibacterial qualities of both the leathers which were exposed to finishing process but not to physical tests and the leathers which were exposed to finishing process and to physical tests, it has been confirmed that prepared micro-particles are able to perform active agent delivery, also micro-particle application on vamp leather has been successful and that the leathers show antibacterial quality.