Novel Drug Eluting Soy Protein-Based Films

Bioresorbable structures can be used as drug eluting platforms in various biomedical applications. Soy protein is a new natural material in the medical field with very promising properties. It has been used in our lab as basic material for wound dressings designed for pre-hospital treatment. Our dressing design consists two layers: a porous layer in contact with the skin, which accommodates newly developed tissue, and a top, dense layer, preventing pathogen penetration. In the current study, the porous layer was loaded with the hemostatic agent (Tranexamic acid, TA) and the dense layer was loaded with both an antibiotic drug (Cloxacillin) for infection prevention and an analgesic drug (Bupivacaine). The whole soy protein structure was crosslinked by glyoxal and plasticized by glycerol. TA release was achieved within minutes, while a more paced release was observed for the analgesic. The water vapor permeability, the most important property of burn dressings, was also affected by the film’s formulation: increasing the crosslinking agent resulted in a lower water vapor transmission rate. The swelling ratio and weight loss were higher for the less crosslinked film as well. A cytotoxicity test was performed with samples containing 3% Cloxacillin (w/w of dense layer). Both drug loaded film and drug free films did not show any cytotoxic effect.

In conclusion, our novel wound dressing holds a promise to be a most effective measure for casualty pre-hospital treatment, as multi-drug releasing platform, which may also support tissue regeneration.