Evaluation of novel antibiotic-eluting thermoresponsive chitosan-PDEAAm based wound dressings

Thermoresponsive interpenetrating polymer networks were synthesized via rapid photo-polymerization and crosslinking of DEAAm in the presence of chitosan. The dressings are transparent, permeable to moisture vapor but impermeable to bacteria. They possessed negative temperature-dependent swelling properties, hence, swelled and became less adhesive at low temperatures, as demonstrated using peel adhesion tests. Water vapor permeability values of the chitosan-PDEAAm hydrogel films were in the typical and desired range for commercial wound dressings. Antibacterial activity studies demonstrated the ability of the dressings to control the release of incorporated antibiotics, which can enhance wound healing by enabling bacterial inhibition.