Preparation and characterization of cellulose whisker/chitin whisker/silk sericin bionanocomposite sponges for wound dressing application

A new dressing material composing of biopolymers derived from abundant natural resources found in Thailand was prepared. The material is in the form of a sponge composing of nanofibers of cellulose and chitin (which are referred to as “cellulose whisker” and “chitin whisker”), and sericin. Sericin – a glue protein found in silk cocoons – has serveral beneficial properties for wound care, such as good skin moisturizing – ability, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. However, pure sericin is generally difficult to be fabricated due to its weak structural properties. This limitation of sericin was solved by using cellulose whisker as a support material according to their nanofibrillar structure with a high aspect ratio. Chitin whisker was chosen as another component because of its ability to promote tissue repair of wound. The cellulose whisker/chitin whisker/sericin sponges were characterized for their chemical integrity and morphology. Consequently, their wound healing potential abilities were evaluated in term of sericin releasing.