In situ synthesized silver nanoparticle-loaded poly(vinyl alcohol)/gelatin composite films for burn wound dressing applications: antibacterial activity and in vivo wound-healing evaluation

This study aimed to develop and evaluate poly(vinyl alcohol)/gelatin (PVA/Gel/AgNPs) composite films containing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), which have the potential to be used as burn wound dressings. In the present study, AgNPs at different concentration were fabricated by a green hyrodthermel method with the help of functional groups of gelatin and PVA in the mixture of these polymers. Then, PVA/Gel composite surfaces containing in situ synthesized AgNPs were obtained in a simple and single step with solvent casting method. The chemical composition of the films was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), verifying the presence of both gelatin and PVA. Morphological and elemental analyses performed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) revealed a heterogeneous structure in AgNP-containing films, with uniformly distributed nanoparticles and characteristic silver peaks. X-ray diffraction (XRD) further confirmed AgNP incorporation, while thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated enhanced thermal stability with increased residual mass at 900 °C. Physicochemical evaluations demonstrated that the films were hydrophilic, exhibited high water retention capacity, and enabled sustained release of AgNPs. Additionally, AgNP incorporation improved the mechanical properties of the films. The AgNP-containing films exhibited concentration-dependent antibacterial activity, and formulations containing 5 and 10 mM AgNPs achieved complete bacterial growth inhibition (100%) against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Cytotoxicity analysis performed using the MTT assay on L929 fibroblast cells confirmed that all films were non-toxic. The results obtained provide preliminary evidence of cytocompatibility. In vivo studies using third-degree burn wounds on Sprague-Dawley rats demonstrated effective wound healing over 21 days compared to commercial dressings. Overall, the developed PVA/Gel/AgNPs films exhibit strong potential as antibacterial wound dressings, with advantages including biocompatibility, ease of fabrication, and suitability for large-scale production.