pH-responsive Wound Dressings

Wound care is an expensive, yet crucial component of medicine since infected wounds can cause sepsis and chronic wounds. This research has aimed to create pH-responsive wound dressings by utilising the fact that the pH of a wound increases when infected. Anthocyanin, a natural pH indicator, was efficiently extracted from red cabbage, purified, and then incorporated into nanocellulose dressings. Wound dressings for continuous pH monitoring, with clear readout in vivo in an infected porcine model, were successfully developed, however with low stability. A pH-responsive wound dressing not only facilitates the prevention of chronic wounds and sepsis but could also save resources for healthcare systems.