Bilayer asymmetric PVA/PAMPS membranes with efficient antimicrobial surface and enhanced biocompatibility

Abstract Herein, we present the fabrication of new biomimetic membranes for wound dressing applications. The membranes were prepared using polymer blends of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with different poly(2-acryloamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) (PAMPS) ratios (15, 10 and 5%), crosslinked with succinic acid (SA). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed a bilayer membrane structure with dense and porous layers. According to EDX and XPS analyses, the dense layer is composed mainly of PAMPS and the porous layer, with a pore size between 6 and 30 μm, of PVA/PAMPS blends. The PVA/PAMPS membranes presented elastic modulus (E) values between 0.44 and 0.86 MPa, which are close to the values reported for skin (0.64 MPa) and the water uptake increases from 233.92 to 343.73% with the increase in the amount of PAMPS. The introduction of PAMPS into the membranes was highly effective for improving water swelling, mechanical properties and cell viability. In addition, PVA/PAMPS membranes exhibited inhibition against E. coli and S. aureus and PAMPS is the active agent that provides these membranes with bacteriostatic or bactericidal activity. Thus, in membrane bilayer the dense layer protects the wound from microorganisms, infections and contamination, while the porous layer provides enhanced fibroblast cell proliferation and biocompatibility.