Synergistic Effects of f-MWCNTs and Nano Titania on the Wound Healing Efficacy of Chitosan Films in Drosophila and Rat Models

Nanodimensional hybrid materials have become indispensable in the fabrication of smart biocompatible materials with antibacterial properties for wound healing applications. Herein, the functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes ( f -MWCNTs) along with nano titania (TiO 2 Nps) exert a synergic impact on the chitosan (CS)-based films to yield biocompatible wound dressing materials with extraordinary properties. In the present study, CS/poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocomposites are prepared by dispersion of f -MWCNTs and TiO 2 Nps by a simple solution blending method. The dynamic Schiff base linkages render the material with excellent swelling and fluid retention properties in a simulated wound fluid environment, which aims at providing a conducive healing atmosphere. The entangled CS/PVA chains aid in the formation of a highly porous material with a perforated interior. The interconnecting f -MWCNTs create a “mesh-like” structure that replicates the extracellular matrix, which stimulates and supports cell growth. The CS/PVA@TiO 2 / f -MWCNT nanocomposite films manifest bactericidal behavior toward both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains with no toxicity toward living cells. The wound healing efficacy of the as-synthesized nanocomposite is studied on invertebrates ( D. melanogaster ), which revealed accentuated wound contraction of >94% in just 5 h. On further extension of the work on vertebrates (Sprague–Dawley rats), the nanocomposite yielded a very smooth healing of full thickness excision wounds with 97.5% wound closure in 14 days. The combined wound healing abilities of TiO 2 Nps and f -MWCNTs furnish the synthesized CS/PVA@TiO 2 / f -MWCNT nanocomposite films with great potential toward futuristic wound healing applications.