Bioactivation of\nKonjac Glucomannan Films by Tannic\nAcid and Gluconolactone Addition

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