New antibacterial wound cover may prevent thousands of infections

May 1 (UPI) -- A new type of antibacterial wound cover has been developed by researchers at the Lodz University of Technology in Poland.

The wound cover was created using an antibacterial substance extracted from the shells of crustaceans, such as shrimp, and is held in place by a bandage.

The wound cover was developed in response to the growing problem of antibacterial resistance throughout the world. A recent report by the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance suggests that antimicrobial resistance may kill as many as 10 million people a year by 2050.

Researchers were inspired by hydrogel dressings that are durable, elastic and can adapt to the shape of the affected body part, and provide moisture to a wound to speed up healing and cool the wound down.

They adapted the hydrogel dressing's manufacturing technique to make a version that is antibacterial and biodegradable by using chitosan, a substance extracted from the shells of crustaceans. Chitosan has been used in bandages to stop bleeding and is known for its antimicrobial properties.

Researchers used a technique known as irradiation to combine chitosan with hydrogel dressings using cross-linking of hydrophilic polymers next to water to form a firm and durable structure that is sterilized in the process.

"We developed a composition where chitosan is dissolved in lactic acid and, when added to the regular composition of the dressing, it does not adversely change its ability to cross-link during manufacturing or alter its mechanical and functional properties," Dr. Radoslaw Wach, of the Lodz University of Technology, said in a press release. "The new hydrogel wound dressing is biologically active."

The study was published in Radiation Physics and Chemistry.