Researchers Develop Bacteria-Fighting Wound Dressing Made with the Help of Crustaceans

The innovative wound cover was made using a substance extracted from the shells of crustaceans. Courtesy of Pixabay
 
A new type of wound dressing could improve thousands of people's lives, by preventing them from developing infections. The dressing, a type of compression held in place by a bandage, uses an antibacterial substance formed from the shells of crustaceans like shrimps. It is described in a paper published in the May issue of Radiation Physics and Chemistry.

The protective dressing was developed by Dr. Radoslaw Wach and his colleagues from Lodz University of Technology in Poland. Their innovation builds on a type of dressing that has been around for centuries. By providing moisture to a wound, hydrogel dressings can speed up aspects of healing and cool the wound down. The dressings are durable and elastic, meaning they can easily adapt to the shape of the affected body part.

Wach and his colleagues adapted the hydrogel dressing manufacturing technique to make a version of the classic dressing with an added benefit. The team did this by incorporating an antibacterial and biodegradable substance called chitosan, extracted from the shells of crustaceans, within the dressing itself.

The extraction process involves isolating a substance called chitin that is found in the shells and then changing its structure by removing most chemical branches from its acetyl groups. The resulting chitosan then has to be purified before it is used. Chitosan is useful in bandages to stop bleeding and has been known for its antimicrobial properties for decades.

Wach and his colleagues used a technique called irradiation to combine chitosan with hydrogel dressings. The method comprises cross-linking of hydrophilic polymers next to water -- just like with basic hydrogel dressings -- to form the firm and durable structure of the dressing and sterilize it in a single step. The researchers next shone an electron beam at the polymer containing a solution of chitosan in a substance called lactic acid while making the dressings. This allowed the chitosan to become part of the dressing itself.

"We developed a composition where chitosan is dissolved in lactic acid and, when added to the regular composition of the dressing, it does not adversely change its ability to cross-link during manufacturing or alter its mechanical and functional properties," said Wach. "The new hydrogel wound dressing is biologically active."

Wach hopes the new dressings will one day be used as a replacement for classic hydrogels. "Since wound healing in severe cases may take a long time -- up to several weeks -- the probability of bacteria-mediated infection is high," he added. "Our novel hydrogel dressing could, therefore, prevent many such infections and avoid serious complications."

Source: Elsevier