Bioactive bacterial nanocellulose membranes for non-surgical debridement and infection prevention in burn wound healingJančič, Urška (Avtor) Nacu, Isabella (Avtor) Vereştiuc, Liliana (Avtor) Rancan, Fiorenza (Avtor) Gorgieva, Selestina (Avtor) bacterial nanocelluloseBromelainNisinCarboxymethyl celluloseantimicrobial functionbioactiveburn wound treatmentNovel bioactive bacterial nanocellulose (BnC) membranes were developed for effective, non-surgical debridement and infection-prevention in burn wound healing. Membranes were modified in situ with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and ex situ with the proteolytic enzyme bromelain (Br) and antimicrobial peptide nisin (N). Post-processing into stable cellulose nanocrystal dispersions (ζ = -26 mV), enables assembly of model films for demonstration of high, irreversible bromelain (95 %) and nisin (99.5 %) adsorption. The BnC-CMC and BnC-CMC-N membranes were in vitro cytocompatible for HaCaT cells and induced faster cell proliferation with cell viability exceeding 100 % after 24 h incubation. The innovative aspect of this study lies in the ex vivo evaluation using an advanced human skin explant model with induced burns, providing a realistic, physiologically relevant assessment of membrane performance. Ex vivo experiments indicated the cytocompatibility of the BnC-CMC membrane with no acute toxicity or skin irritation, while nisin presence resulted in moderate irritating effect. Notably, the BnC-CMC-Br membrane showed digestion of intercellular junctions in the epidermis, while not inducing acute toxicity and skin irritation. By leveraging this innovative ex vivo human skin model in novel BnC-based membranes testing, the study provides a crucial translational step, bridging in vitro assessments and clinical applications for burn wound treatment.Elsevier 20252025-04-01 15:53:00Članek v reviji92364UDK: 677.46:620.3COBISS_ID: 231067907DOI: 10.1016/j.carpta.2025.100762ISSN pri članku: 2666-8939sl© 2025 The Author(s)