Biomedical potential of chitosan-silver nanoparticles with special reference to antioxidant, antibacterial, hemolytic and in vivo cutaneous wound healing effects.

Abstract The aim of the present study was to prepare chitosan-PVA-silver nanoparticles (CS-AgNPs) through green method. Chitosan and PVA polymers acted as stabilizing agents. DLS and TEM analyses showed that CS-AgNPs were homogeneously dispersed in matrix with an average size of 190–200 nm. The CS-AgNPs were tested for their antioxidant and antibacterial properties and the results revealed that they exhibited higher antioxidant activity than CS powder. Moreover, CS-AgNPs were characterized by a low cytotoxicity effect at 5–200 μg/ml against Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO-K1) cells. In addition, the prepared CS-Ag NPs were found to promote significantly the wound healing, as determined by the wound contraction ratio and histological examination. A significant improvement in wound healing progression and in oxidative stress damage were observed for CS, CS-PVA and CS-AgNPs-treated wound tissues, when compared to control and CICAFLORA®-treated groups. The wound healing effect could be attributed to the antibacterial and antioxidant synergy of AgNPs and CS. Results strongly support the possibility of using CS-AgNPs for wound care applications. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Chitosan-silver nanoparticles exhibited strong antibacterial and in vitro antioxidant activities. • The ability of chitosan-silver nanoparticles gel to enhance the wound healing was investigated. • Chitosan, CS-PVA and CS-AgNPs gels were able to accelerate the cutaneous healing. • CS-AgNPs were demonstrated the highest efficiency to prevent the oxidative damage. • The histological micrographs revealed that CS-AgNPs enhanced the wound re-epithelialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]