DESENVOLVIMENTO E CARACTERIZAÇÃO DE MEMBRANAS DE HIDROGEL À BASE DE ALGINATO INCORPORADAS COM CINAMALDEÍDO

Abstract

Skin infections generate major problems in terms of public health, making it a challenge to determine its causes, origins, evolution, treatment and rehabilitation, affecting millions of individuals worldwide. Alginate-based polymers for curative effects have been used because they are biocompatible and biodegradable. Alginate is a biopolymer that has healing properties and is abundant in nature, a characteristic that makes it attractive for making skin wound dressings. The incorporation of cinnamaldehyde, the main active component of cinnamon essential oil (Cinnamomum sp), to dressings produced from alginate can lead to a better performance of these. In the present study, alginate-based hydrogel membranes were incorporated with cinnamaldehyde and characterized using physico-chemical and biological methods. Initially, the membranes were formulated from a factorial design 23 with six repetitions at the central point and 6 axial points, totaling 20 tests. A quality score was used to select the best formulation, according to the parameters: uniformity, cracks, bubbles, detachment from the plate, transparency and consistency. Then, the in vitro antimicrobial activity of membranes containing or not cinnamaldehyde was verified against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter baumannii. The morphological and physical characteristics (morphology, thickness, roughness, behavior in the presence of moisture, water behavior, water vapor sorption and coloring) of the hydrogel membranes formed were verified. The membrane containing cinnamaldehyde inhibited the growth of all tested microorganisms. The incorporated hydrogels had a lamellar cross-sectional structure with little evidence of the existence of pore formation, with an average roughness of 0.2482 ± 0.04676 μm and an average thickness of 0.4468 ± 0.01749mm. It had a good absorption, 310% of saline solution, a loss of mass of 52% and a water vapor sorption capacity of approximately 57%. The results obtained with alginate biofilms incorporated with cinnamaldehyde presented promising prospects for acting as biocuratives, characterized by their antimicrobial capacity, stability and fluid absorption, for example, in the case of exudative wounds.