Preparation, characterization, antibacterial properties, and hemostatic evaluation of ibuprofen-loaded chitosan/gelatin composite films

Ibuprofen-loaded chitosan/gelatin (CS/GE) composite films were fabricated in this work. The morphology of the composite film was investigated using scanning electron microscopy. The functional groups of the composite film before and after crosslinking were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Meanwhile, the mechanical properties, antibacterial performance, cytocompatibility, and hemostatic activity of the composite films were investigated. The results show that the amount of CS affected the mechanical properties and liquid uptake capacities of the composite films. The composite film showed better bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus than Escherichia coli. In vitro drug-release evaluations showed that crosslinking could control the drug-release rate and period in wound healing. Both types of CS/GE and drug-loaded CS/GE composite films also showed excellent cytocompatibility in cytotoxicity assays. The hemostatic evaluation indicated that the composite film crosslinked by glutaraldehyde in rabbit livers had a dramatic hemostatic efficacy. Therefore, ibuprofen-loaded CS/GE composite films are potentially applicable as a wound dressing material. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45441.