The purpose of this study was to enhance the antimicrobial activity of bagasse paper by coating the paper with bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) and using it to accelerate the process of wound healing. Paper sheets were prepared from sugarcane waste (bagasse). First, the paper sheets were coated with different Bi2O3 concentrations to improve the antimicrobial activity of the paper. After that, the paper sheets were allowed to dry in an oven at 50 °C for 3 h. Then, in vitro antimicrobial activity was evaluated against different microbial species, including Gram-negative bacteria (i.e., Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive bacteria (i.e., Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes). The obtained results showed that the paper coated with 25% and 100% Bi2O3 had activity against all models of bacteria; however, the paper coated with 100% Bi2O3 composite had the strongest inhibitory effect. Then, bagasse paper was coated with 100% Bi2O3 and different antibiotics, to investigate their wound-healing potency in a wounded rat model for 14 days. Moreover, the paper coated with 100% Bi2O3 inhibited the cellular migration in vitro. Conclusively, coating paper with Bi2O3 enhances the wound-healing potential when applied to wounds. This impact could be ascribed to Bi2O3's broad antibacterial activity, which reduced infection and accelerated the healing process.
Keywords: agriculture waste; bismuth oxide composite; wound dressing.