Thermoplastic sago starch nanocomposites wound dressing fortified with antibiotic-modified HNT

Abstract

Starches were reported to promote wound healing. However, the hydrophilicity of starch help absorbs the exudates from the wounds during the healing process, but it also enables a bacterial infection that slows the healing process. Halloysite nanotubes (HNT) are attracting many biological technologies because of their high loading capacity and biocompatibility. This paper investigates the modified HNT as a carrier for antimicrobials agent in wound healing materials. Halloysite was modified by dispersing it with chloramphenicol solution using a magnetic stirring method. Thermoplastic sago Starch (TPSS)/modified HNT (MHNTs) biocomposite films of different compositions (0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1 wt. % HNT) were then developed using the solution casting method. SEM revealed that modified HNT shows good dispersion on the TPSS matrix. With the introduction of modified HNT, the FTIR peaks of TPSS have altered at the peak of 3693.21 cm-1 and 1040.05 cm-1. In addition, modified HNT reduced the water absorption rate of the TPSS films. Furthermore, modified HNT showed good resistance to bacterial culture and significantly reduced the biodegradability rate of TPSS compared to pristine HNT. From the findings, HNT can be a potential carrier for antibacterial agents to withstand bacterial attacks.