Bacteria cellulose membranes (BCM) are used for wound dressings, bone grafts, tissue engineering, artificial vessels, and dental implants because of their high tensile strength, crystallinity and water holding ability. In this study, the effects of BCM application for 15 days on healing of burn wounds were investigated based on evaluation of skin regeneration and angiogenesis in burn injury skin of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. BCM showed a randomly organized fibrils network, 12.13 MPa tensile strength, 12.53% strain, 17.63% crystallinity, 90.2% gel fraction and 112.14 g × m(2)/h highest water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) although their swelling ratio was enhanced to 350% within 24h. In SD rats with burned skin, the skin severity score was lower in the BCM treated group than the gauze (GZ) group at all time points, while the epidermis and dermis thickness and number of blood vessels was greater in the BCM treated group. Furthermore, a significant decrease in the number of infiltrated mast cells and in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) expression was observed in the BCM treated group at day 10 and 15. Moreover, a significant high level in collagen expression was observed in the BCM treated group at day 5 compared with GZ treated group, while low level was detected in the same group at day 10 and 15. However, the level of metabolic enzymes representing liver and kidney toxicity in the serum of BCM treated rats was maintained at levels consistent with GZ treated rats. Overall, BCM may accelerate the process of wound healing in burn injury skin of SD rats through regulation of angiogenesis and connective tissue formation as well as not induce any specific toxicity against the liver and kidney.
Keywords: Angiogenesis; Bacterial cellulose; Burn wound; Mast cells; Toxicity.
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