Alginate/Gauze Incorporated with Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn. Extract as a Bioactive Agent for Wound Dressing Application

In recent years, the development of wound dressings has changed from a passive to an active form by adding antiseptic agents such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVPI) and nanoparticles such as silver nanoparticles to facilitate the wound healing process. However, PVPI is toxic to human skin fibroblasts, and silver nanoparticles may result in metal accumulation in the tissues due to their nanosize. Therefore, a new approach to using natural sources from plants such as Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn. (HSL) is promising due to its phytochemical constituents that can serve as a potential therapeutic agent in wound dressings. In this study, freeze-dried alginate/gauze (FDA/gauze) without and with HS extract and calcium alginate/gauze (CA /gauze) with and without HS extract were developed by freeze-drying and gelation, respectively. This study aimed to characterize the properties of alginate/gauze-dressings as wound dressings. The morphology of the designed dressing; FDA/gauze, looks evenly distributed on the surface of the gauze compared to CA/gauze. It was found that FDA/gauze dressings have higher water absorbency than CA /gauze dressings, ranging from 690.43 to 1340.86% from day 1 until day 14. The percentage of water uptake ability increases as the concentration of alginate increases. In addition, the seeded human skin fibroblasts' growth on the alginate/gauze dressings infused with HSL extract growth in clustered, bright, and colourless proves that the cells were viable. Thus, the addition of HSL extract shows to support the process of cell viability.