DEVELOPMENT OF CERAMIDE AND HONEY BASED BIODEGRADABLE DRESSING MATERIALS FOR THE APPLICATION TO BURN SKIN

Abstract

Ceramide is widely recognized for its skin barrier function whereas hydrogel is an ideal one for wound healing where honey is used for antibacterial activity and burn wound treatment from ancient ages. This research work proposes to develop a ceramide-loaded honey-based hydrogel biomaterial for burn wound healing. The biodegradable hydrogels have been prepared by the solution casting method. The developed hydrogel membranes were characterized by using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and UV Spectrophotometer. Besides that, swelling behavior in Physiological Solution, Moisture Retention capability, Gel Fraction, Water Vapor Transmission Rate (WVTR), Porosity, and Anti-microbial activity were studied and evaluated thoroughly. Then, ceramide hydrogel (C2) and ceramide & honey Hydrogel (CH) were assessed for burn wound healing activity in the mice model. Both C2 and CH hydrogel showed significant wound healing rates while only CH hydrogel showed significant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Other properties like physicochemical, swelling, WVT, porosity, gel fraction and data obtained from FTIR, FESEM, and UV spectrophotometer were identical to confirm the presence of ceramide & honey in the hydrogel. This newly prepared ceramide loaded honey based hydrogel plays an important role during application on burn wounds and scars and further healing process. Current outcomes of this research can be used for further investigation on the future biological assays to declare this as a potent candidate for the treatment of burn patients.