Antimicrobial Wound Dressings based on Bacterial Cellulose and Independently Loaded with Nutmeg and Fir Needle Essential Oils

Georgiana-Madalina Lemnaru Popa; Ludmila Motelica; Roxana Doina Trusca; Cornelia Ioana Ilie; Alexa-Maria Croitoru; Denisa Ficai; Ovidiu Oprea; Anicuta Stoica-Guzun; Anton Ficai; Lia-Mara Ditu; Bianca-Maria Tihăuan

doi:10.3390/polym15173629

Antimicrobial Wound Dressings based on Bacterial Cellulose and Independently Loaded with Nutmeg and Fir Needle Essential Oils

Polymers (Basel). 2023 Sep 1;15(17):3629. doi: 10.3390/polym15173629.

Authors

Georgiana-Madalina Lemnaru Popa^{1

2}, Ludmila Motelica^{1

2}, Roxana Doina Trusca¹, Cornelia Ioana Ilie^{1

2}, Alexa-Maria Croitoru^{1

2}, Denisa Ficai^{1

3

4}, Ovidiu Oprea^{1

3

5}, Anicuta Stoica-Guzun⁶, Anton Ficai^{1

2

5}, Lia-Mara Ditu³, Bianca-Maria Tihăuan^{7

8}

Affiliations

¹ National Centre for Micro and Nanomaterials and National Centre for Food Safety, University Politehnica of Bucharest, Splaiul Independentei 313, 060042 Bucharest, Romania.
² Department of Science and Engineering of Oxide Materials and Nanomaterials, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, University Politehnica of Bucharest, Gheorghe Polizu 1-7, 060042 Bucharest, Romania.
³ Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, University Politehnica of Bucharest, Gheorghe Polizu 1-7, 060042 Bucharest, Romania.
⁴ Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, 1-3 Aleea Portocalelor, 060101 Bucharest, Romania.
⁵ Academy of Romanian Scientists, 3 Ilfov Street, 050045 Bucharest, Romania.
⁶ Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, University Politehnica of Bucharest, Gheorghe Polizu 1-7, 060042 Bucharest, Romania.
⁷ Research Institute of the University of Bucharest-ICUB, 91-95 Spl. Independentei, 50567 Bucharest, Romania.
⁸ Research & Development for Advanced Biotechnologies and Medical Devices, SC Sanimed International Impex SRL, 087040 Călugăreni, Romania.

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to obtain antimicrobial dressings from bacterial cellulose loaded with nutmeg and of fir needle essential oils. The attractive properties of BC, such as biocompatibility, good physicochemical and mechanical stability, and high water absorption, led to the choice of this material to be used as a support. Essential oils have been added to provide antimicrobial properties to these dressings. The results confirmed the presence of oils in the structure of the bacterial cellulose membrane and the ability of the materials to inhibit the adhesion of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. By performing antibacterial tests on membranes loaded with fir needle essential oil, we demonstrated the ability of these membranes to inhibit bacterial adhesion to the substrate. The samples loaded with nutmeg essential oil exhibited the ability to inhibit the adhesion of bacteria to the surface of the materials, with the 5% sample showing a significant decrease. The binding of essential oils to the membrane was confirmed by thermal analysis and infrared characterization.

Keywords: antimicrobial; bacterial cellulose; fir needle essential oil; nutmeg essential oil; treatment of skin; wound dressing.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Research, Innovation, and Digitization, CCCDI—UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P2-2.1-PED-2021-3414, within PNCDI III; 573PED/2022 “Ambalaje inovative cu activitate antimicrobiana pentru siguranta alimentara”.