Characterization and ornidazole release in vitro of a novel composite film prepared with chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol)/alginate

To create a moist environment for rapid wound healing, a new C-P-A film with sustained antibacterial capacity had been developed by the casting/solvent evaporation method. This new type of C-P-A film consists of a chitosan top layer and sodium alginate sublayer separated by an ornidazole-incorporated poly(vinyl alcohol) layer, exhibited perfect binding characteristics among the three layers. Physical characterization of the C-P-A film showed that the triple-layer film had excellent light transmittance, control of water vapor transmission rate, and fluid drainage ability promotion, compared with the single-layer film. From the in vitro release studies, about 90% of OD was released from the composite films within 60 min, and no significant difference was observed in cumulative release percentage with increases in the drug content. The composite film at low concentration of OD (1.0 mg/cm(2)) showed effective antimicrobial activity in the cultures of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in agar plates. The results obtained in this work indicated that the new type of C-P-A composite film incorporated with ornidazole has the potential for wound dressing application. (C)3 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.