Bioactivation of Konjac Glucomannan Films by Tannic Acid and Gluconolactone Addition

Wound healing is a dynamic process that requires an optimal extracellular environment, as well as an accurate synchronization between various cell types. Over the past few years, great efforts have been devoted to developing novel approaches for treating and managing burn injuries, sepsis, and chronic or accidental skin injuries. Multifunctional smart-polymer-based dressings represent a promising approach to support natural healing and address several problems plaguing partially healed injuries, including severe inflammation, scarring, and wound infection. Naturally derived compounds offer unique advantages such as minimal toxicity, cost-effectiveness, and outstanding biocompatibility along with potential anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity. Herein, the main driving idea of the work was the design and development of konjac glucomannan d-glucono-1,5-lactone (KG) films bioactivated by tannic acid and d-glucono-1,5-lactone (GL) addition. Our analysis, using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared, atomic force microscopy, and surface energy measurements demonstrated that tannic acid (TA) clearly interacted with the KG matrix, acting as its cross-linker, whereas GL was embedded within the polymer structure. All developed films maintained a moist environment, which represents a pivotal property for wound dressing. Hemocompatibility experiments showed that all tested films exhibited no hemolytic impact on human erythrocytes. Moreover, the presence of TA and GL enhanced the metabolic and energetic activity in human dermal fibroblasts, as indicated by the MTT assay, showing results exceeding 150%. Finally, all films demonstrated high antibacterial properties as they significantly reduced the multiplication rate of both <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Escherichia coli</i> in bacterial broth and created the inhibition zones for <i>S. aureus</i> in agar plates. These remarkable outcomes make the KG/TA/GL film promising candidates for wound healing applications.