Crosslinked Bacterial Cellulose Hydrogels For Biomedical Applications

Abstract The skin, fundamental barrier that protects internal tissues, prevents pathogen invasion, and maintains the body fluid equilibrium, may be compromised upon traumas, such as incisions and burns. The healing process of such wounds is costly and usually hindered by the patient’s physiological conditions, associated diseases, inflammation and external factors, namely bacterial infections. Recently, increasing attention has been given to bacterial cellulose-based membranes to be applied as dressings for healing purposes. Bacterial cellulose is an attractive biomaterial due to its unique structural characteristics such as high porosity, high water retention capacity, high mechanical strength, low density, and biodegradability. One drawback of bacterial cellulose hydrogels is that, after the first dehydration, the water retention capacity is hindered. In this work we produced, modified, and characterized hydrated and de-hydrated BC membranes. Two crosslinking methods were adopted (using citric acid and epichlorohydrin as crosslinking agents), and the results obtained from the characterizations such as water retention capacity, mechanical properties or contact angle were compared to those of unmodified bacterial cellulose. We demonstrate that the cross-linked bacterial cellulose membranes present physical properties suitable to be used as surgical and burn wound dressings when hydrated, or as exuding wound dressings, diapers dressing or sanitary pads when dehydrated.