Drug loaded thermoresponsive and cytocompatible chitosan based hydrogel as a potential wound dressing

There is a demand for a wound dressing which can be removed from the application site easily without causing any pain or discomfort A material removable by manipulating the temperature (e g moisten with ice cold water) from that point of view seems to have considerable potential Here we report a new formulation consisting of thiolated chitosan with poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) loaded with ciprofloxacin The thermoresponsive material was cytocompatible and was found to modulate the release of the incorporated ciprofloxacin in a sustained fashion reflecting its suitability to protect a wound for a prolonged period The film exhibited adequate mechanical strength and was removable from a substrate (e g tissue culture plate) by lowering the temperature The combination of thiolated chitosan with poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) and ciprofloxacin showed antibacterial properties to the virulent bacteria E colt supporting its potential as a wound dressing (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved