Antibacterial, Antioxidant, and Healing Potential of Wound Dressings Utilizing Cranberry Extract in Combination with Methacrylated Polyvinyl Alcohol and Methacrylated Sericin

Purpose: Hydrogels, due to their hydrophilic nature and tunable properties, have emerged as promising materials for wound dressings. Notably, the ability to incorporate antibacterial and antioxidant agents into hydrogels offers significant advantages in reducing bacterial colonization, scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitigating inflammation, and accelerating wound closure. This study investigated the potential of cranberry extract (CR)-incorporated poly(vinyl alcohol)/silk sericin (PVAMA/SERMA) hydrogel wound dressings to promote effective antimicrobial activity and wound healing. Methods: Methacrylated poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVAMA) and silk sericin (SERMA) pre-polymers were synthesized. The wound dressings consisting of PVAMA, SERMA, and CR were fabricated by photopolymerization method. The chemical and thermal structures of wound dressings were investigated by FTIR and TGA analysis. The assessment of the physical characteristics was conducted through the analysis of swelling and in vitro degradation tests. The effect of various concentrations of CR in wound dressings on cytotoxicity and healing performance of NIH/3T3 fibroblast cell line was examined using extract-based MTT and scratch assays, respectively. Antibacterial and antioxidant properties of the wound dressing were performed against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus aureus using the agar diffusion method and DPPH assay, respectively. Results: The findings suggest that CR-loaded PVAMA/SERMA hydrogels hold promise as novel wound dressing materials due to their enhanced antibacterial, antioxidant, and wound healing capabilities, potentially accelerating wound recovery. Lay Summary: Hydrogels, due to their hydrophilic nature, tunable chemical, mechanical, and biological properties, have shown great promises for wound dressing application. Notably, antibacterial and antioxidant hydrogels reduce bacterial colonization and infection, scavenge ROS, relieve inflammation, and accelerate wound healing. In this study, The PVAMA/SERMA-based wound dressings with various concentrations of CR (0, 1, and 2 wt % of polymer) were prepared by the photopolymerization method to achieve effective antimicrobial and wound healing potential.