3D-Printed Lanolin-Based Sodium Alginate Wound Dressings

This chapter aims to develop a realistic view of creating novel wound dressing materials by making use of 3D printing technology. Wool wax, which is known as textile waste, is used as an agent material. Various concentrations of wool wax (lanolin) and sodium alginate-based scaffolds were developed by additive manufacturing technology. The use of lanolin as wound dressing material and 3D production have been successfully achieved in the study. As lanolin concentration is amplified, the pore size of the scaffolds also increases serially. The results showed that the optimum concentration of wound dressing was developed using 2% of lanolin and 4.5% of sodium alginate solution. The antibacterial activity of the developed structures was performed against Escherichia coli. The result of the antibacterial activity demonstrates that the addition of lanolin in the scaffolds provides the antibacterial activity. The mechanical properties, such as swelling and degradation, were also studied. The discharge mechanism of the scaffold was investigated by using agar gel chromatography and chromatography. All the results suggest that the 3D-printed lanolin-based sodium alginate scaffolds have an excellent potential for wound dressing applications.