Synthesis and characterization of alumina-based nanocomposites of TiO2/Al2O3/Chitosan with antibacterial properties accelarate healing of infected excision wounds

Abstract

Bacteria cause infections in wound sites, leading the delayed in wound healing process. New and multi-functional dressings are required to treat the infectious wounds. TiO2 nanoparticles are efficient agents for killing bacteria but their biosafety are questionable. In this work, we prepared TiO2/Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) nanocomposites coated with chitosan (TiO2/Al2O3/Csn) for the treatment of infected wounds. A new green route was used to prepare the TiO2/Al2O3/Csn by fruit extract of oak. Structural and morphological aspects of the TiO2/Al2O3/Csn were investigated. Infectious wounds were created on back region of mice and treated with ointments of (Ⅰ) mupirocin® (Mucn), (Ⅱ & Ⅲ) Al2O3, TiO2/Al2O3, and TiO2/Al2O3/Csn. Control mice did not any treatment (Colt). In vitro antibacterial activity, total bacterial count, histological parameters, and the expression of inflammatory and proliferative genes were investigated. The synthesized spherical TiO2 nanoparticles on the sheet-like structure of alumina were formed in a size of 4–6 nm. Carbon, Oxygen, Aluminum, and Titanium elements were observed in the as-synthesized TiO2/Al2O3/Csn. Biomedical studies confirmed the antibacterial activity of TiO2/Al2O3/Csn and also their positive effects for decreasing total bacterial count, the expression of inflammatory genes, and increasing the expression of proliferative genes, fibroblast, and collagen. Therefore, the new alumina-based TiO2/Al2O3/Csn has a greater potential to heal infected wounds and could compete with a commercial ointment. In addition, this study investigated the structure for first time and showed their efficiency for healing wounds.