Development of natural antimicrobial and non-toxic hydrogel dressings based on carboxymethylation of wormwood/viscose fiber nonwovens

To address the limitations of traditional dressings, such as poor absorbency leading to wound adhesion and lack of antibacterial properties causing infection, in this study, the viscose fiber nonwovens containing wormwood extract (VFN-W) were modified with carboxymethylation, and the modification process was optimized by single-factor experiments, resulting in a wormwood/viscose hydrogel (WVH) with excellent water absorbency, antibacterial properties, and cytocompatibility. The results demonstrated that the obtained hydrogel had a water absorption rate of up to 895 % and retained 330 % of its liquid content after drying at 60°C for 30 minutes. Additionally, the hydrogel exhibited antibacterial effectiveness against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli , with inhibition rates of 88.56 % and 85.17 %, respectively, effectively suppressing bacterial growth. Finally, cytocompatibility tests indicated that the relative cell viability of WVH remained above 70 % in 12–72 hours, confirming good cytocompatibility. This work combines textiles with crops to develop a hydrogel dressing with application potential, which provides an effective strategy for improving the safety of hydrogel dressing and the added value of wormwood crops. • Natural antibacterial crops and cellulose are used to prepare hydrogel. • Wormwood/viscose hydrogel is easily produced by carboxymethylation. • Wormwood endows hydrogel with outstanding antibacterial performance. • The obtained hydrogel has excellent absorbability and non-cytotoxicity.