Development of hybrid bioactive textile products to use in burn treatment

Wounding is the disruption of the epithelial integrity of the tissues. Burn wounds are wounds caused by transferring energy from a heat source to the body. The wound healing process is a dynamic and complex mechanism dependent on wound cause and severity, and many local and systemic factors that prevent healing. Therefore, it is not possible to use a single ideal dressing for all wound types. Burns are often painful and leaky wounds. In the management of these wounds, dressings that can absorb excess exudate and do not apply pressure to the sensitive wound surface should be used. The aim of this doctoral thesis is to produce a multilayer textile-based composite dressing that does not affect the normal functions of the skin, provides effective oxygen circulation, prevents bacterial contamination and also contains bioactive components that will support healing. For this purpose, a textile-based hybrid product was created by combining different layers consisting of textile surfaces and polymers. These layers are hydrogel absorbent layer supported by non-woven surfaces and bacterial barrier. For the absorbent layer, chitosan was cross-linked with poly (ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether and sodium alginate cross-linked with calcium chloride and poly (ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether to form hydrogels on non-woven surfaces. The bio-active feature was obtained by adding wheat germ oil to the optimum featured textile-based hydrogel product. As the bacterial barrier, commercial adhesive thin dressings were examined, and the most suitable secondary dressing was chosen in terms of transfer properties that can be used on the absorbent layer. It has been demonstrated that products containing a certain amount of wheat germ oil have appropriate properties to support the treatment of burn wounds due to relatively high fluid holding capacity, sufficient air and water vapor permeability, viscoelastic properties and their activity promoting cell proliferation.