Multilayered smart wound dressings to be used in diabetic wounds therapies

Diabetes patients, whose number will exceed half a billion in the next ten years, suffer greatly from chronic wounds caused by this disease, and if appropriate treatment is not provided in the future, part or all of the injured limb will be amputated. After the mentioned amputation, the probability of losing patients increases. Therefore, a new generation of smart dressing materials is needed to increase the effectiveness of the treatment in the healing of such wounds. The main purpose of the presented thesis; It is the development of a new generation/intelligent dressing that contains the therapeutic agents necessary to increase the effectiveness in the treatment of diabetic foot wounds, restore, improve and protect the function of the limb, and that allows the natural polymer to release the therapeutic agent into the desired area when needed. Multi-layered structures with different functions contribute to wound healing. Two different methods were used in the preparation of the new generation diabetic dressing material as multilayer smart dressings. Here, the bottom layer that will first contact the wound area and the protective top layer to provide a stable structure were produced by electrospinning using silk protein fibroin. Silk cocoons were commercially available and extracted using chemical solvents for the use of silk proteins in dressings. In order to provide effective treatment, local release of antibiotics (Gentamicin, Ciprofloxacin) has been achieved by creating controlled release drug carrier systems (Polidopamine, Bovine Serum Albumin) in the layer that will contact the wound. The release of active substance sensitive to different pH values of drug delivery systems at different infection levels has been achieved. Cryogenic gel matrix preparation method was used to form the middle layer. The structure to be used for the middle layer loaded with alginate and chondroitin sulfate added anti-inflammatory active substance (Metformin) was obtained by freeze-drying method. In the case of inflammation, drug release was performed depending on the changing temperature. As a result, a smart, new generation wound dressing material with both temperature and pH sensitivity has been developed. The layers obtained for the diabetic dressing material were characterized morphologically (using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), water absorption capacity due to the hydrogel structure of the middle layer and the release of drugs loaded into drug delivery systems, biocompatibility (cytotoxicity) test were performed.