The role of dialdehyde kefiran as a crosslinking agent in chitosan/kefiran-based materials with “Henola” extracts: a biocompatible strategy in wound care†

Due to the significant increase in patients struggling with wound treatment, the development of new natural wound dressings is now attracting much more attention. An important aspect that enhances these properties is the proper crosslinking of the materials. Therefore, in this study, we successfully produced films based on a mixture of chitosan and kefiran, crosslinked with kefiran dialdehyde. Our team obtained this crosslinker for the first time, and it is a safe alternative to standard agents such as glutaraldehyde. Moreover, to provide antimicrobial properties of the designed materials, we introduced an extract from the hemp variety “Henola” into the biopolymer matrix. Several analyses were performed to characterize the obtained films (such as FTIR-ATR, AFM, biodegradability, swelling rate, water vapor permeability, and mechanical properties). The biocompatibility of the films was tested using fibroblasts and erythrocytes, and their antimicrobial activity was examined against the bacteria and the fungus. The results showed that crosslinking with dialdehyde kefiran conferred strength and flexibility to the obtained films. Moreover, the film with the ethanol extract showed strong anti-inflammatory properties (86.4 ± 3.67%) and a strong inhibitory effect on the growth of S. aureus (the number of isolated cells was up to 5.7 log lower than that of the control). In addition, the materials do not exhibit hemolysis (≤5%) on contact with blood and are non-toxic to MRC-5 cells (after 24 hours, cell viability above 100%). Therefore, these films have promising potential for practical applications in wound dressing.