Fabrication of a chitin/chitosan hydrocolloid wound dressing and evaluation of its bioactive properties

The aim of this study was to develop a chitin/chitosan hydrocolloid (CCH) wound dressing. Chitosan was cross-linked with tripolyphosphate to prepare chitosan microbeads and then incorporated within the chitin matrix in a chitosan microbeads:chitin (w/w) ratios of 0.1–0.5:1 to fabricate the CCH hydrogels. As potential wound dressings, the chitin and CCH gels were then evaluated for their water absorption, enzymatic degradation and antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and biocompatibility with the L929 cell line. The chitin gel had a water absorption of approximately 231 ± 22% of its dry weight, which was higher in the CCH gels than that prepared from chitosan microbeads:chitin (w/w) in ther ratio of 0.1:1 which had the highest water absorption (308 ± 13% of its dry weight). Both the chitin and CCH hydrogels were gradually surface-degraded by lysozyme (1.4 g/mL), being reduced to 47.5 ± 7.5 and 55.3 ± 2.9% of their wet weight, respectively, after 7 days. The water adsorption, effective antibacterial activity and biocompatibility of the CCH gels suggest their potential for applications in medical fields as wound dressings for wound healing.