Synergic fabrication of titanium dioxide incorporation into heparin-polyvinyl alcohol nanocomposite: enhanced in vitro antibacterial activity and care of in vivo burn injury

Abstract

In this study, a highly porous heparin-polyvinylalcohol@TiO₂ nanocomposite (H-PVA@TiO₂) bandage was fabricated by incorporating TiO₂ into H-PVA hydrogel for burn injury. The effects of the H-PVA hydrogel and TiO₂ nanoparticle composition on the functional group and surface properties of the as-prepared bandages were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and x-ray diffractometry (XRD). The morphology of the H-PVA hydrogel and H-PVA@TiO₂ were evaluated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). A study of the material properties of H-PVA hydrogel has shown that the presence of TiO₂ nanoparticles improves its toughness. Prepared H-PVA@TiO₂ nanoporous dressing has indicated good antimicrobial activity against types of bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli) and excellent biocompatibility with human dermal fibroblast cells (HFFF2) suitable for biological applications. Additionally, in vivo experiments using Kunming mice showed it as-prepared H-PVA@TiO₂ nanocomposite dressings improved wound healing and triggered skin cell development alongside collagen growth. Synergistic effects of the H-PVA@TiO₂ nanocomposite hydrogel dressing material through in vivo experiments, such as its excellent hydrophilic design, strong bactericidal activity, biocompatibility and wound healing ability, make it a promising candidate for the treatment of burn injuries.