Silver-Functionalized Bacterial Cellulose as Antibacterial Membrane for Wound-Healing Applications

Bacterial cellulose (BC) functionalized with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is evaluated as an antimicrobial membrane for wound-healing treatment. A facile green synthesis of silver nanoparticles inside the porous three-dimensional weblike BC network has been obtained by UV light irradiation. AgNPs were photochemically deposited onto the BC gel network as well as they were chemically bonded to the cellulose fiber surfaces. AgNPs with a narrow size distribution along with some aggregates in the BC network were evidenced from the morphological analyses. A highly crystalline nature of the BC membranes was observed in X-ray diffraction measurements, and the presence of metallic silver confirmed the photochemical reduction of Ag⁺ → Ag⁰ in Ag/BC composites. Antibacterial activity of the hybrid composites, such as pellicles, performed against the Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) by disk diffusion and growth dynamics methods showed high bacteria-killing performance. No significant amount of silver release was observed from the Ag/BC pellicles even after a long soaking time. As composite pellicles are preserved in a moist environment that also favors wound recovery, by combining all of these properties the material could be useful in wound-healing treatments.