Development of a Sustainable Smart Biodressing Using Chitosan, Albumin, and Green Propolis for Dermal Lesion Care: An In Vitro Study with Multivariate Analysis

Here, we report on the development and characterization of a smart chitosan-based biodressing for the treatment of dermal lesions, based on the controlled release of green propolis (GP). Smart biodressing refers to dressing that responds to wound environmental conditions, such as temperature, to release therapeutic substances. Smart biodressing was produced using multifactorial optimization. Three factors were evaluated: (i) chitosan mass (0.5–2.0 g), (ii) acetic acid concentration (1.0–5.0%, w/v) and (iii) glutaraldehyde concentration (0.0–5.0%). Fixed concentration of albumin (Alb) (6.7 mg mL⁻¹) was tested to increase the biocompatibility and biodegradability of the produced biodressing. Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis were used to characterize the prepared biodressing. Using the best conditions for preparation of the biodressing, the GP loading efficiency into the biodressing was 89.9 ± 1.1% (n = 3). Prepared biodressing showed high porosity (88.7 ± 1.3%) and high water vapor permeability, ranging between 74.3 and 98.3 × 10¹⁰ g ms⁻¹ Pa⁻¹. The release kinetics of green propolis followed a controlled pseudo-second order model (R² = 0.985), highlighting the material’s smart release capabilities. In vitro and ex-vivo skin penetration studies showed that the drug carried by the material penetrated the skin layers (stratum corneum, epidermis and dermis). In vitro study using Artemia salina indicate that the biodressing demonstrated low toxicity. The use of biodegradable and natural materials, such as chitosan and green propolis, reinforces the sustainable nature of the biodressing, offering an environmentally friendly alternative for wound treatment.