Investigating the properties of clove eco-printed bacterial nanocellulose as novel wound dressing

Bacterial nanocellulose as a natural hydrogel with unique properties such as high biocompatibility, and non-toxicity has been investigated as a modern dressing in recent years. Accordingly, this research aimed to improve the physical and chemical properties of this biopolymer for biomedical uses by eco-printing clove plant on bacterial cellulose.

For this purpose, the purified layers of bacterial nanocellulose were printed using different amounts of clove in an eco-print method, and consequently, the properties were investigated with ATR-FTIR, XRD, FEESEM, hydrophilicity, and antibacterial activity tests.

The characterization tests confirmed the chemical nature, crystal structure and nanofibrous substrate of bacterial cellulose. Also, the eco-print process did not have a negative effect on the surface hydrophilic properties of the finished samples, and in addition, the water absorption capacity of the sample treated with 10 grams of clove plant was increased by two times compared to the untreated sample. Additionally, all the samples showed antibacterial properties against two Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria, while increasing the amount of clove active substance on the samples intensified the antimicrobial properties of the layers. Accordingly, the treated samples with 10 gr of clove resulted in the formation of a 30-mm diameter inhibition zone for both bacteria mentioned above.

Based on the findings of this research, it can be concluded that the bacterial nanocellulose treated with clove plant has a high capacity as a modern environmentally friendly wound dressing.