Low cost membrane of wood nanocellulose obtained by mechanical defibrillation for potential applications as wound dressing

Large wounds are characterized by clinical and surgical challenges, requiring numerous searches on demand for inexpensive biocompatible materials that produce the best quality of cutaneous healing. Cellulose is a biopolymer of greatest abundance, good biocompatibility and wide application due to its chemical and physical properties. This study was aimed to develop and characterize low cost membranes of wood cellulose nanofibrils for potential application as a wound dressing in comparison to a commercial porous regenerating membrane. An inexpensive mechanical method was used to defibrillate cellulose, and later the membranes were obtained from the nanofibrils by filtering and drying under mild pressure. The techniques employed for characterization included scanning electron microscopy, physical testing, application in vivo and cost-effectiveness analysis. The membranes presented promising physical properties for application as cutaneous dressing, with characteristic translucency allowing the evaluation of the wound without the need of removal and exchange of the dressing. Wood nanocellulose dressing seems to be promising for wound care since it presented good adhesion to the moist wound surfaces thus promoting the most efficient repitialization in the first 4 days. No allergic reaction or inflammatory response to wood nanocellulose dressings was observed. The wood nanocellulose membranes stand out as a potential wound dressing, as it shows similar efficacy of bacterial cellulose dressing. Besides the efficacy, the membrane developed in this study presents a simpler, faster and cheaper manufacturing process, which may reduce the production cost by 99%.