pH-Responsive Zinc Sulfide Nanoparticle/Polyethylene Composite Nonwoven Fabric for Wound Dressing

Abstract Traditional dressings such as cotton and gauze can only provide physical protection and maintain a dry wound bed. Thus, they fail to meet the requirements of preventing bacterial infection and oxidative damage as well as promoting hemostasis and tissue regeneration during wound healing. Herein, a dressing zinc sulfide nanoparticle/polyethylene (ZnS/PE) composite nonwoven fabric was prepared by growing ZnS NPs in situ on the flash-spun high-density PE nonwoven fabric via a hydrothermal method. The composite dressing maintains good mechanical strength, suitable air and moisture permeability, and excellent biocompatibility. Importantly, it could respond to the acidic microenvironment of wounds, enabling controlled and sustained release of Zn2+ and H2S. In vitro experiments demonstrated that the ZnS/PE composite nonwoven fabric exhibits antioxidant capacity, the ability to promote human umbilical vein endothelial cells’ migration and tube formation, pro-coagulant properties, reduced protein adsorption, and significant antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Collectively, the ZnS/PE composite nonwoven fabric prepared in this study shows promise as a multifunctional wound dressing.