Antimicrobial and wound healing properties of a bacterial cellulose based material containing B. subtilis cells

A biocomposite composed of bacterial cellulose (BC) gel-film and Bacillus subtilis (BS) cells was obtained and characterized with a view to future biomedical applications. The inclusion of functional ingredient (10(10)/g viable BS cells) in the composite was carried out by their joint aggregation with the BC gel-film. Immobilized BS cells displayed high antagonistic activity towards causative agents of wound infections such as Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Application of the BC/BS-biocomposite for the treatment of excision wounds, performed on laboratory animals, stimulated reparative processes and shortened the healing time. Possible mechanisms of the wound-healing effect of BC/BS gel films are discussed. In this work we claim that the developed BC/BS-material can be positioned as a universal wound coating and sanitary-hygienic product.