In vitro and in vivo performance of a propolis-coated polyurethane wound dressing with high porosity and antibacterial efficacy.

Wound dressings with antimicrobial and wound healing accelerating properties are emerging as valuable options to prevent wound infection and improve the wound healing process. In this study, high porous polyurethane (PU) foams were successfully prepared using salt leaching/solvent casting method and were coated with propolis as a well-known anti-bacterial agent. The wound dressings were subjected to detail analyzes using electron microscopy, reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, mechanical properties, contact angle measurement, ratio swelling, porosity measurement, and in vitro and in vivo evaluations. The prepared wound dressings had high porosity (more than 80%) with homogeneous pore structure and sufficient interconnectivity. The increase of propolis concentration (10%-30%) caused tensile strength decrease (5.26 ± 0.40-2.99 ± 0.11 MPa), elongation at break increase (372 ± 12-434 ± 22%), contact angle decrease (114.52 ± 2.31° to 35.53 ± 1.65°), water absorption decreased (243 ± 15-207 ± 14%) and enhancement of the antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The propolis coated wound dressing exhibited significant enhancement of in vitro cellular compatibility and in vivo wound healing which had direct relative with coated propolis concentration. Therefore, propolis-coated polyurethane wound dressing can be an appropriate candidate for more pre-clinical investigations.