Development of Modified Montmorillonite-Bacterial Cellulose Nanocomposites as a Novel Substitute for Burn Skin and Tissue Regeneration

The document presents a study on the development of modified montmorillonite-bacterial cellulose (MMT-BC) nanocomposites as potential skin substitutes for burn wound healing and tissue regeneration. The study involved 35 BALB/c mice, divided into seven groups, and assessed the nanocomposites' antimicrobial activity against common burn wound pathogens and their wound healing capabilities over 15 days. The Cu-MMT-BC, Na-MMT-BC, and Ca-MMT-BC nanocomposites demonstrated significant antimicrobial effects and promoted wound healing, with Cu-MMT-BC showing the most substantial wound area reduction from 289 mm² to 72 mm². Histological analysis confirmed tissue regeneration, and compared to a positive control group treated with silver sulfadiazine, the Cu-MMT-BC nanocomposite-treated group exhibited the highest percentage of wound healing at 75.08%. The study concluded that Cu-MMT-BC nanocomposites are promising as a novel artificial skin substitute, offering benefits such as less frequent dressing changes and painless removal. Further studies are recommended to validate these results, and the study was supported by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. Statistical significance was determined using Student's t-test with p≤0.05.