20.500.12556/DKUM-97169 Bacterial nanocellulose wound dressings with gentamicin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles for surgical site infection management Surgical-site infections (SSIs) represent a significant healthcare burden, often complicating wound healing and recovery. To overcome the limitations of systemic antibiotic administration, such as toxicity and poor localization, this study aimed to develop a bioactive dressing utilizing bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) impregnated with gentamicin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (GNP). Chitosan nanoparticles were synthesized via ionic gelation with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) and optimized using a one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) approach to control particle size, polydispersity index (PDI) and zeta potential. The optimized nanoparticles were impregnated into BNC disks, and the resulting composite was characterized using FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, XRD and SEM. Antimicrobial efficacy was evaluated against Klebsiella pneumoniae, while biocompatibility was assessed using MTT assays and cell-adhesion studies on human fibroblasts. The optimization process yielded stable, monodisperse nanoparticles with a mean size of 80.07 nm and a PDI of 0.192. SEM imaging confirmed the successful integration of nanoparticles into the BNC nanofibrillar network without compromising the membrane’s structural integrity. The BNC-GNP composite demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity against K. pneumoniae, comparable to free gentamicin solution. Furthermore, in vitro studies revealed good biocompatibility, with cell viability exceeding 70% and sustained fibroblast adhesion, although cell-attachment density decreased with higher nanoparticle concentrations. The developed BNC dressing containing gentamicin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles presents a promising multifunctional biomaterial. It effectively combines local infection control with a biocompatible environment suitable for tissue regeneration, offering a novel approach for the postoperative treatment of surgical-site infections. bacterial nanocellulose chitosan nanoparticles gentamicin surgical site infections bakterijska nanoceluloza nanodelci hitozana okužbe na mestu kirurškega posega true false true MDPI Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/4/510 Članek v reviji 2026-02-20 14:21:08 2026-02-20 14:21:09 2026-02-21 03:11:41 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 19 str. iss. 4, [article no.] 510 Vol. 18 Feb. 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 2026-01-18 2026-02-16 2026-02-19 677.46:620.3 269148675 10.3390/polym18040510 2073-4360 polymers-18-00510.pdf polymers-18-00510.pdf 1 56DDC8A51B32602F9A62C8DD27811860 8cecf924e891417f7556b4956ae42f2df13fb1240c35d8b7d6ed6354136d7fd5 41e5d11d-0e5f-11f1-86bb-00155d580e1a https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=203612 https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/4/510 0 49298098-0e5f-11f1-86bb-00155d580e1a https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=203613 Fakulteta za strojništvo 0 0 0