Synthesis and characterization of wound dressing materials containing Gellan Gum

Wound dressing materials are the most common way to promote wound healing without the need for surgery. These materials can be in the form of film, hydrogel, hydrocolloid, hydroactive, foam, alginate and hydrofiber. The form of the material to be used depends on the depth of the wound and the amount of exudate. Films have the advantage of being flexible, easy to apply, allowing some moisture to evaporate, providing a barrier against external contamination, and inspecting the wound bed without removing the material. In the presented study, thymol-containing wound dressing films were prepared in the presence of polysaccharide gellan gum (GG), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and hyaluronic acid (HA) polymers. Structural characterization of the obtained films was carried out by FTIR and SEM analysis. In order to observe the potential of the desired material as a wound dressing, the water vapor permeability rate, swelling and degradation behavior and mechanical properties of the films were investigated, and the release profiles of thymol were determined. In vitro biocompatibility and wound healing tests were also performed against the L929 fibroblast cell line. The results showed that in the formulation of polysaccharide-based films, the film containing 5% (w) thymol (GCH-5) significantly improved the migration and proliferation of L929 fibroblast cells, and therefore it can be a potential wound dressing material for clinical use.