Research Projects

Wound care is a common issue, often requiring prolonged care through dressings and oral/intravenous medications. These treatments aim to prevent infection, allow skin growth, and minimize discomfort or pain through analgesic drugs. However, the use of these treatments can cause gastric irritation, systemic issues, and antibiotic resistance if not administered properly. Current commercial dressings have several issues, including low loading ability, limited availability of prolonged delivery patches, and high costs. To address these issues, it is crucial to develop dressing materials that provide local delivery of analgesics and antimicrobials while maintaining moisture and optimal gas exchange. Bacterial cellulose, a 3-dimensional network of pure nanofibrous crystalline cellulose fibers, is a suitable candidate due to its biocompatibility and ease of availability. This form of cellulose offers a perfect combination of moisture retention and high drug loading due to its high surface area. The study proposes using herbal antimicrobials with analgesic diclofenac sodium as a model drug for immediate and sustained release. The bacterial cellulose can be tuned to achieve a combination release profile through microstructural changes induced by different drying methods. Essential herbal oils from clove, thyme, and basil will be used and microencapsulated to offer sustained long-term release. Drug loading will be carried out using a simple dip and drying method. The developed active dressing material will be tested for drug release, swelling, absorption, oxygen, and moisture permeability. Wound care management remains a challenge globally and nationally due to the exponential increase in diabetic and cancer cases.