Development of carboxymethyl cellulose/chitosan double-layer hydrogel combining myrtle essential oil and thyme honey to enhance antibacterial and mechanical properties

Abstract

Bacterial infection and oxidative stress are still mentioned as critical problems for wound treatment because they often cause delays in wound healing. Creating a suitable environment in the wound bed can speed up its regeneration process. The aim of this study was to fabricate and characterize double-layer hydrogels based on the biopolymers carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as the first layer and chitosan as the second layer for use as wound dressings. In the second layer of this hydrogel, thyme honey as a carbohydrate compound and myrtle essential oil (MEO) as an herbal combination were added in order to create antimicrobial and mechanical properties. The creation of a double-layer hydrogel and the presence of thyme honey and MEO were confirmed by microscopy. An analysis of the structure of the hydrogel showed its flexibility and excellent mechanical strength. The effects of the MEO and honey components in the double-layer hydrogel resulted in the development of enhanced antibacterial activity and potent antioxidant characteristics. Also, these double-layer hydrogels were evaluated in terms of the in vivo healing process and showed excellent therapeutic performance. In general, these valuable properties of double-layer hydrogels make them a promising candidate for wound dressing application.