Abstract

This study aims to modify bacterial cellulose (BC) produced by Komagataeibacter nataicola TISTR 975 with collagen hydrolysate (CH) and Quercus infectoria gall (QI) via an ex-situ method to develop a bioactive wound dressing. Initially, QI gall was extracted in ethanol, and the crude extract showed a high total phenolic content (TPC) of 778.7 ± 76.2 mg GAE/g. After loading CH and QI onto the BC film, the morphology, FTIR spectra, mechanical properties, antibacterial properties, and biocompatibility of the prepared films were systematically evaluated. SEM images revealed that all prepared films were porous with multiple layers, and FTIR results confirmed the successful incorporation of CH and QI into the BC film. The TPC on the films ranged from 149.7 to 563.1 mg GAE/g, depending on the QI loading concentration. The tensile strength of the BC/CH/QI films was higher, while Young’s modulus and % elongation at break were comparable to the BC. The swelling ratio of the composite films was increased to nearly doubled, which can be attributed to the high-water absorption capacity of CH. Moreover, disk agar tests revealed that adding QI in the BC film significantly inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Hemolysis assay results supported that the BC/CH/QI films were biocompatible. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that the BC/CH/QI films are considered as a bioactive material and has the great potential for biomedical applications.