Hydrogel sheets of chitosan, honey and gelatin as burn wound dressings

A hydrogel sheet composed of chitosan, honey and gelatin (HS; 0.5:20:20, w/w) was developed as a burn wound dressing. HS showed powerful antibacterial efficacy up to 100% to Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, significantly superior to chitosan and honey used separately. A series of toxicological evaluations demonstrated that HS is not toxic and not irritant to skin and body. An animal burn model was performed on the back of New Zealand rabbit, and treated, respectively, with HS, MEBO® ointment (Shantou MEBO Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Guangdong, China) and sterile gauze. The macroscopic image and histopathology were examined. The results showed that HS had a significant effect on wound contraction with the shortest treatment duration of 12 days compared to MEBO® ointment and no treatment. Histological examination revealed that HS-treated burn wound was repaired with intact epidermis on day 12, but the wound treated with MEBO did not completely heal. Therefore, HS demonstrated its potential as a treatment.