Abstract
The natural wound healing process is often insufficient to restore tissue integrity in the case of chronic wounds, particularly when skin disruption is accompanied by pathological complications. The severity of these wounds is frequently exacerbated by persistent inflammation and the formation of bacterial biofilms, which significantly hinder skin regeneration. In this study, a pharmaceutical hydrogel-based wound dressing was developed and evaluated, incorporating silver nanoparticles synthesized with cinnamon essential oil that serves as both a stabilizer and antimicrobial agent, polymeric beta-carotene nanoparticles, and Centella asiatica extract. The work details the synthesis of both types of nanoparticles, their integration into an alginate-based matrix, and the subsequent formulation of composite dressings. The influence of each therapeutic agent on the morphology and structural characteristics of the dressings was demonstrated, along with the evaluation of their antimicrobial performance against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. The antimicrobial effects observed within the first 24 h, critical for wound dressing application, highlight the potential of the developed materials for effective chronic wound management. A comprehensive set of analyses was performed to characterize the synthesized nanostructures and the final dressings. These included XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDS, and DLS. Additionally, swelling and degradation tests were conducted to assess hydrogel performance, while antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities were tested against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli over a 24-h period. The biocompatibility screening of the alginate-based wound dressings was performed on human keratinocyte cells and revealed that the incorporation of beta-carotene and Centella asiatica into alginate-based wound dressings effectively mitigates silver-induced cytotoxicity and oxidative stress and determines the development of highly biocompatible wound dressings. This paper presents an alginate hydrogel co-loaded with Ag nanoparticles, BC@PVP, and Centella asiatica extract that balances antimicrobial efficacy with cytocompatibility. Pairing silver with natural antioxidant/anti-inflammatory components mitigates cell stress while retaining broad activity, and the nanoparticle choice tunes pore architecture to optimize moisture and exudate control in chronic wounds.