Author(s): Madhan Raja1*, Sem Abit C2 and Gulshan J Dharmaraj3
Cellulose nanofiber is produced and then blended with starch to be used in treating wounds in diabetic patients. Since it is of plant origin, it prevents the toxic effects to the body like itching, swelling etc. Cellulose is extracted from a common source almond gum which is easily available and has greater amount of cellulose in it. Cellulose is blended with starch, which is also a plant origin compound and has greater effect in wound healing property. Starch has a natural wound healing property which is why it is blended with cellulose. PVA is a synthetic polymer which is used in the nanofiber synthesis along with starch and cellulose. PVA maintains the tensile strength and helps to maintain the surface to volume ratio. It also helps in the proper drug distribution throughout the fiber. The method used to produce nanofiber is electrospinning technique. And it provides the proper texture for the nanofiber and also the proper distribution. The voltage is being kept at 12KV. The flow rate is kept at 0.1ml/min and it is adjusted depending upon the nanofiber which is being produced. High voltage and potential difference is used in the production of nanofiber. The concentration of the components in nanofiber and PVA is optimized for the effective production of nanofiber. The drug used in the nanofiber is polyhexanide which is effective against gram positive and gram-negative bacteria. Concentration of the drug is also optimized for its effective activity. Finally, the components are optimized, and the fiber is produced be electro spinning method. The fiber produced is then checked for its antimicrobial activity in three different bacterial strains in MHA agar and then given for SEM analysis which confirms the diameter of the fiber.
