FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF HERBAL SMART WOUND HEALING BANDAGE WITH INFECTION INDICATOR

Wound management is an important aspect of healthcare due to the increasing prevalence of chronic wounds, burns, diabetic ulcers, and post-surgical infections. Conventional wound dressings provide physical protection but fail to monitor wound condition continuously. Smart wound dressings are advanced systems capable of responding to wound environment changes such as pH, temperature, and bacterial infection. The present study focuses on the formulation and evaluation of an herbal smart wound healing bandage incorporated with infection indicator properties. The bandage was prepared using biocompatible polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol along with herbal components possessing antimicrobial and wound healing activity. Bromothymol blue and phenol red were incorporated as pH-sensitive indicators for infection detection. The prepared bandage was evaluated for physical appearance, thickness, folding endurance, swelling index, moisture uptake, surface pH, antimicrobial activity, and infection indication response. The formulated bandage demonstrated good flexibility, satisfactory swelling behavior, and effective color-changing ability in response to pH variation. Herbal ingredients showed promising antimicrobial and healing properties. The developed smart bandage may serve as an economical, biocompatible, and efficient alternative to conventional wound dressings.