Cellulose-lignin wound patch on Janus textile support for dual tissue regeneration and antibacterial action in cutaneous leishmaniasis wounds.

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by Leishmania parasites and the most common form is known as cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) causing non-healing lesions and ulcers and making the already immunocompromised patients more vulnerable to other infections. Secondary bacterial infections and excess inflammation within the wound area are two critical factors that negatively impact CL wound healing. An optimal wound dressing should address these issues and contribute to the acceleration of wound closure even in a limited clinical setting. Sugar-cane bagasse derived cellulose:lignin hydrogel scaffolds (BC:BLig 70:30) loaded with small molecules with antibacterial (EUG: eugenol, BER: berberine chloride, UA: ursolic acid, AMP B: amphotericin B) and wound healing properties (UA and GK: ginkgo biloba extract) were engineered. The BC:Blig 70:30 loaded with EUG (CLE) and BER (CLB) showed the highest antibacterial activity against laboratory strains S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and E. faecalis and highest fibroblast proliferative activity. The two selected hydrogels were converted into hydrogel films for the development of a wound patch prototype further supplemented with GK in situ which showed antibacterial activity against drug-resistant hospital isolates as well as anti-inflammatory properties. The efficacy of the exchangeable Janus textile support of wound patch system was proved using an in vivo Sprague Dawley rat wound model.