Biologically active Chitosan/ZnO/Acalypha indica leaf extract biocomposite: An investigation of antibacterial, cell proliferation and cell migration aptitude for wound healing application

Abstract

A biocomposite composed of Chitosan (Cs), Zinc oxide (ZnO), Acalypha indica (AI) was fabricated by simple chemical precipitation method. The achieved biocomposite was characterized by Fourier Transmission Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), Scanning electron microscope (SEM) with Energy dispersive X-ray analysis spectroscopy (EDAX) and Transmission electron microscope (TEM). The phytochemical constituents in the AI leaf extract were also studied by Gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GC-MS) analysis. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant studies were studied using Diclofenac sodium and ascorbic acid as standard by Fetal bovine serum denaturation and (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate) DPPH radical scavenging method. The effective bactericidal action of the composite was evaluated against both gram-negative, gram-positive bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E.coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus). The hemolysis activity was studied using Triton x 100 as negative and Phosphate buffer solution (PBS) as positive control. The biocompatibility nature was evaluated by the MTT (3- (4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) MTT assay and Fluorescence staining method using mouse fibroblast cells (L929). Additionally, the in-vitro wound healing potential was also assessed by scratch wound assay with L929 mouse fibroblast cells. Hence, these obtained results suggest that the Cs/ZnO/AI biocomposite can act as a suitable candidate in wound care applications.