Evaluation of various silver-containing dressing on infected excision wound healing study

Abstract

Silver-containing dressings have been widely used for controlling wound infection. However, the relationship between different concentrations of silver in dressings and their antimicrobial activities and wound-healing efficacies remains unclear. In the present study, we (in cooperation with Bio-medical Carbon Technology) investigated various silver-containing activated carbon fibers to understand the effects of different silver concentrations on the efficacies of a silver containing dressing. Our results indicated that various silver-containing activated carbon fibers exhibited good antibacterial effects and biocompatibility in terms of cell viability and that silver concentration showed a minor influence on cell growth. The infected excision wound model indicated that compared to silver-containing activated carbon fiber and other commercial silver-containing dressings assisted wound healing by promoting granulation and collagen deposition. Meanwhile, the silver ion can only be restrained in epidermis by intact skin. During application on the wound area, a temporary increase of serum silver can be detected, but this elevated serum silver level decreased to a subtle level after the removal of silver-containing activated carbon fiber.