In vitro study and characterization of cotton fabric PLA composite as a slow antibiotic delivery device for biomedical applications

Wound treatment remains a challenge to many clinicians because of the complexities of the wound healing process. The choice of dressing depends on a number of factors such as wound type, location, and injury extension, as well as the patient's health status. All of these factors increase the complexity and difficulty of utilizing a single type of dressing. The focus of this study was centered on developing a woven cotton fabric polylactic acid (PLA) composite as a low drug delivery device for biomedical applications. A hand weaving method was employed in developing the fabric to control its porosity. Fabrics with three different pore sizes 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, and 1.5 mm were developed with a natural cotton yarn of 36 Tex and the resulting fabrics were used for composite development. Three different PLA concentrations 0.01 g/mL, 0.03 g/mL, and 0.06 g/mL were used to study the effects of the PLA/fabric ratio on the mechanical properties. The antibiotic amoxicillin was used in the study. This drug release study was monitored by UV-Vis spectrophotometry, while mechanical testing was performed with the Instron 5566 universal materials testing system. The results suggested that drug-loading capacity increases with decreasing fabric porosity. The release profiles from these devices followed a two-stage pattern, and the release mechanism appears to be a mixed transport system. This includes diffusion and possibly super case II kinetics, as well as a release due to damage to the composite surface through dissolution. The amount of released concentration exceeded the minimum inhibitory concentration of amoxicillin against Staphylococcus aureus. Degradation of the fabric composites is suggested as influencing the drug release rate. The water absorption ability of composites decreases with increasing PLA concentrations. The mechanical properties of composites were consistent with the fabric's density and weight. To design the ideal wound dressing materials, consideration of all these aforementioned properties are required in order to incorporate the desired functions to support tissue regeneration and healing while limiting bacterial infections. The findings from this research suggest that the developed devices could be used for wound dressing applications on sites where a water-resistant dressing is required, thus aiding in the prevention of bacterial contamination of the primary dressing.