Evaluation of glucan/poly(vinyl alcohol) blend wound dressing using rat models.

Aqueous mixture of beta-glucan and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was cast into films and dried at 110 degrees C without chemical crosslinking. The content of glucan in the film varied from 7% to 50%. The hydrophilicity of the resulting films was evaluated with swelling tests, wet area diffusion tests, and water vapor transmission tests. The swelling ratio, the wetting ratio, and the water vapor transmission rate increased with the glucan content. When contacting water, glucan was released, and the percent release of glucan increased with the glucan content. The addition of glucan made the film more ductile than pure PVA. The results of hemocompatibility test showed no significant effect on the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and thrombin time (TT) and minor adsorption of human serum albumin (HSA). On observing the wound healing of rat skin, the healing time was shortened by 48% using PVA/glucan film comparing to cotton gauze. Therefore, a wound dressing made of PVA/glucan can greatly accelerate the healing without causing irritation.