Development of alginate/gelatin/chitosan composite sponge that can be used as a bioactive wound dressing with in vitro release

The skin is the largest organ of the body and protects against environmental influences. When the skin is injured, such as cuts, burns or infections, a deep or superficial inflammatory process begins in the skin. The need for modern wound dressings has increased to minimize the painful process and accelerate the inflammation process in acute or chronic injuries. Diclofenac sodium (DS) is a pharmaceutical active ingredient used for chronic injuries such as pain and inflammation. Controlled drug release systems are one of the modern methods used to accelerate wound healing and minimize the risk of infection by adjusting the drug dose and release rate to reduce the interval and cost of drug use. In this study, two biodegradable composite sponges containing alginate/gelatin/chitosan (control) and alginate/gelatin/chitosan/DS (SDF) were developed to promote wound healing and controlled drug release. Sponge production was carried out by lyophilization (freeze drying) method. Characterization analyses of composite sponges were carried out by FTIR, XRD, TGA and SEM. XRD analysis showed that the control sponge had an amorphous structure and the addition of SDF increased the crystallinity level. TGA results showed that the thermal stability of the SDF decreased compared to the control group. SEM analysis showed that the control sponge had a high porosity structure, while the addition of SDF to the sponge structure resulted in a more compact and homogeneous structure. The swelling capacity, solubility percentage and porosity ratios of the sponges were determined. In the swelling test, the swelling percentage of the SDF sponge at 195th minute was 2503±149,84% while the control sponge was 2117±158,76%. In the solubility test, the solubility percentage of the control sponge was 21,41±2,36% while that of the SDF sponge was 27,79±0,81%. The drug release study of SDF was carried out at pH 5,5 for 48 hours İn-Vitro. In the 1st hour, 35,52±0.10% of the control sponge and 68,84±0,03% in the 48th hour were found, while in SDF, 11,65±0,01% in the 1st hour and 17,37±0,03% in the 48th hour were found. In this way, research has been conducted on whether the composite sponge that can be used in wound care is a candidate for bioactive wound dressing.