Double crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol/gelatin/silver sulfadiazine sponges with excellent antibacterial performance

In this work, a double crosslinking strategy comprising chemical crosslinking and physical crosslinking was applied to fabricate novel polyvinyl alcohol/gelatin/silver sulfadiazine (PGA) sponges. The morphology and chemical composition were characterized via Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy and Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy. The antibacterial activity of PGA sponges towards Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and Staphylococcus aureus was evaluated via several methods: inhibition zone determination, plate counting, fluorescence staining of dead/live bacteria, bacterial morphology observation, and protein leakage determination. The PGA sponges exhibited excellent antibacterial performance owing to the silver sulfadiazine release from the sponges. Moreover, the sponges exhibited sustained sulfadiazine release, and the release profiles reasonably fitted the Higuchi model, indicating that the release was diffusion controlled. The improved mechanical properties and excellent antibacterial effect of the prepared PGA sponges demonstrate their potential as outstanding antibacterial materials.

Automated summary

In this study, a double crosslinking strategy was used to fabricate novel PGA sponges. The morphology and chemical composition of the sponges were characterized, and their antibacterial activity was evaluated. The results showed that the PGA sponges exhibited excellent antibacterial performance due to the release of silver sulfadiazine, and the release of sulfadiazine was diffusion controlled. These prepared PGA sponges showed improved mechanical properties and excellent antibacterial effects.