Development of a Healing, Antimicrobial, and Anti-Inflammatory Gel Containing Cellulose and Curcumin for Wound Treatment

This work presents the production of a gel containing bacterial cellulose and curcumin and the anti-inflammatory and healing activity assayed according to an animal model (BC-curcumin). The methodology consisted of the production of bacterial cellulose (BC) using a glycerol-based culture medium, subsequentially purified and transformed into a powder and added to an ethanolic curcumin solution, acting as a carrier matrix of a bioactive compound, as well as this component present in the gel proposal, promotes the prolonged liberation of curcumin. The BC and BC-curcumin were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The antimicrobial activity of the developed gel was confirmed through halo inhibition zone assay and minimum inhibitory concentration against strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli, whose presenting halos with diameters of 21, 26, and 14 mm, and concentrations of 63.78, 6.16 and 136.65 mu g mL-1 for the three microorganisms, respectively. The healing and anti-inflammatory activities were observed according to in vivo assays using Wistar rats, which demonstrated a high healing potential, also confirmed by histopathological study of the tissue samples extracted from the healing area. This study shows the potential application of a gel in wound treatment. The gel produced a significant response in vivo and in vitro assays regarding its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory action. image