In-situ anchoring an Ag-based metal-organic framework onto carboxymethylcellulose hydrogel film: A potential bio-platform for antibiotic-free wound dressing

An efficient method for preventing bacterial infections of wounds is to prepare an antibacterial agent with the right mechanical, antibiotic, and water vapor permeability features. In this work, a novel method was applied to develop a nanocomposite bio-platform by in-situ anchoring of silver-based metal-organic frameworks (Ag-MOFs) onto the carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) hydrogel film. In this regard, CMC films were prepared using citric acid and glycerol as a crosslinker and plasticizer, respectively. Subsequently, Ag-MOFs were synthesized directly on the film surface via immersion-coordination of Ag⁺ ions with 2-aminoterephthalic acid, eliminating the need for additional stabilizers. Various techniques (i.e., FT-IR, XRD, SEM, EDX-mapping, AFM, etc.) were utilized that verify the successful synthesis of CMC/Ag-MOF nanocomposite. The results of in-vitro cytotoxicity and antibacterial assays demonstrated that the CMC/Ag-MOF nanocomposite exhibited acceptable cytocompatibility, maintaining cell viability above 60 % at a concentration of 8 mg/mL against human skin fibroblast cells (HFF-2). Moreover, it showed significantly enhanced antibacterial performance, with inhibition zones against S. aureus and Escherichia coli increasing by approximately 66.7 % and 87.5 %, respectively, compared to the pure CMC film. The obtained results recommended CMC/Ag-MOF hydrogel films as a potential antimicrobial dressing.