Minocycline Hydrochloride-infused Polyvinyl alcohol/ pectin-based bio-nanocomposite antibacterial hydrogel films reinforced with nanofibrillar cellulose from biomass for preventing bactericidal infections in wound dressings

The wound healing process is typically susceptible to a variety of bacterial infections as a result of the challenging physiological environment, which significantly impedes wound healing. Topical antibiotic use is not recommended for wound healing, as excessive use can lead to bacterial resistance, posing serious risks to human health. Antibiotic-infused wound dressings offer a promising approach to address the limitations of conventional wound care. Cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) are biocompatible, renewable, and naturally occurring materials that have been extensively used as innovative, sustainable reinforcing nanofillers in polymer composites. In this article, we extracted CNF from a plant-based source, Sida rhombifolia. The CNF extracted were characterized using XRD, FTIR and TEM. Using CNF-based nanofillers in Polyvinyl alcohol and Pectin bio nanocomposites exhibit enhanced physical and mechanical characteristics (6.85 ± 0.84 MPa). The nanofiller-reinforced polymer films were non-cytotoxic, showed excellent cell proliferation (105.21 ± 1.71 at 72 h), and effectively inhibited biofilm formation by S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, outperforming the GTR membrane. The biodegradability of all film formulations was assessed, showing an average enzymatic degradation of 55.2 ± 2.3 % and environmental degradation of 60.1 ± 1.8 % over the testing period. The overall results confirm that the developed PVA/PECCNF-Min hydrogel films show excellent potential as wound dressing materials, with strong antibacterial and wound healing properties.