Antibacterial effect of electrospun polyurethane-gelatin loaded with honey and ZnO nanoparticles as potential wound dressing

Damage to the skin makes the body vulnerable to microorganisms; wound dressings with desirable properties such as antibacterial activity is used in order to accelerate the healing of the injury. An available natural substance investigated for its antibacterial property is honey; also, zinc-oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) have shown great antibacterial activities. This study investigated some properties of PU-Gel nanofibrous membranes, loaded with honey and ZnO-NPs, including antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus subtilis, mechanical properties and cell proliferation. The results indicate that PU/Gel/ZnO and PU/Gel/ZnO/H are suitable in inhibiting bacterial growth compared with PU/Gel/H and control membranes. Moreover, PU/Gel/H membranes had considerable antibacterial effect on E-coli. The addition of ZnO-NPs improved the mechanical properties. Cell culture studies (MTT test) proved the biocompatibility of the developed nanofibrous membranes. The obtained nanofibrous membrane PU/Gel/ZnO/H is a promising candidate for the development of improved bandage materials.