Development of bacterial cellulose incorporated with essential oils for wound treatment

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is promising as a wound dressing because it is non-toxic and maintains moisture in the wound. Although BC does not have antimicrobial activity, its structure allows the incorporation of antimicrobial compounds such as essential oils (EOs). This study aims to associate BC with rosemary, clove, eucalyptus, ginger, lavender and lemongrass EOs to obtain wound dressings. The Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy analyses showed characteristic compounds of EOs in the incorporated membranes. These compounds reduced the thermal stability of most samples due to their different degrees of volatility. The Scanning Electron Microscopy indicated that the EOs filled the membrane pores and coated the cellulose fibers. Samples incorporated with clove, ginger and lemongrass EOs inhibited Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans due to the presence of eugenol and citral. The results confirmed the incorporation method's effectiveness, maintaining the composition and antimicrobial characteristics of the EOs.