The In Vitro Wound Healing and Anticancer Studies on New Niacinamide/ <scp>PVA</scp> /Collagen Composite Films

ABSTRACT The fabrication of PVA/collagen/niacinamide composite films focuses on exploring their potential use in wound healing and melanoma prevention. The PXRD analysis indicated that the composite films changed from amorphous to semicrystalline in nature with an increase in dopant concentration. The SEM findings corroborate the PXRD results, demonstrating that niacinamide is uniformly dispersed into the PVA/collagen matrix. FTIR analysis revealed shifts in the bands corresponding to hydroxyl, amino, and amide groups of the polymer matrix towards lower frequencies due to the multiple H‐bonding interactions between the matrix and dopant. The mechanical testing demonstrated that higher niacinamide concentrations significantly improved the stiffness and tensile strength of the films, with Young's modulus increasing from 13.5 MPa in the unmodified sample to 1010 MPa at 2% niacinamide. An in vitro wound closure assessment on the NIH3T3 cells revealed that the film with 2% niacinamide achieved a notable cell migration rate of 61.49%, due to the sustained release of niacinamide at pH 7.4. Furthermore, the film exhibited anticancer properties against A375 cells in vitro, showing a cytotoxicity rate of 40.46% at 24 h and 45.80% after 72 h. Thus, the experiments indicated the potential use of biofilms as wound closure patches with anticancer activity in biomedical applications.