Polysaccharides offer exceptional advantages for biomedical applications due to their natural biocompatibility, biodegradability, and lack of immune response. By incorporating active ingredients, researchers can tailor these materials’ properties for specific uses. This study focused on developing enhanced biodegradable films using chitosan and konjac glucomannan as base materials, enriched with two natural antioxidants: resveratrol and syringic acid. Films containing these antioxidants at two different concentrations (10% and 20% were obtained and thoroughly characterized using multiple analytical techniques. Infrared spectroscopy confirmed the successful incorporation of the active compounds, while scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy revealed homogeneous surfaces with slightly increased roughness due to the additives. The antioxidant-enriched films demonstrated significant improvements in several properties. Most importantly, they showed strong antioxidant activity, with resveratrol and syringic acid working synergistically to enhance radical scavenging capabilities. The 20% concentration films exhibited markedly improved wettability, while mechanical properties were enhanced compared to the pure polymer blend. Although moisture vapor transmission decreased with the additives, this actually represents a beneficial barrier property for many applications. The films’ swelling behavior proved particularly interesting, showing high swelling capacity at physiological pH (7.4) but significantly lower swelling at acidic pH (5.5). This pH-responsive behavior, combined with enhanced antioxidant properties, makes these materials especially promising for medical applications such as wound dressings. The obtained antioxidant-enhanced biopolymer films hold considerable potential in multiple industries, including medical devices, cosmetics, food products, and packaging applications. With further biological testing, these materials could advance wound care treatments by providing protective barrier functions and therapeutic antioxidant benefits.
The release of active compounds is widely studied for both biomedical and cosmetic applications. Special attention is paid to the delivery of antioxidative compounds, which act as antiaging agents and thus protect the skin and help in the wound healing process. This paper presents the results regarding the fabrication of chitosan-based films for the release of quercetin. Chitosan was modified by introducing a small amount of hyaluronic acid, and then quercetin was added. Thin polymeric films were fabricated using the solution casting method. The obtained films were analyzed using FTIR spectroscopy and thermal analysis. Surface properties have been studied using an AFM microscope. The roughness of the films was changed after the addition of hyaluronic acid and quercetin to the chitosan films. HPLC was used to analyze the release of quercetin from the polymer film. The maximum release of quercetin was found after 20 min at pH 5.5, which is the pH of normal human skin. The average percentage of the release of quercetin from the films based on chitosan was 21.62 ± 0.50%, whereas from the chitosan/ hyaluronic acid film, it was 27.07 ± 1.96%. The results suggest that the proposed films with incorporated quercetin show potential as materials for wound healing and beauty masks due to their antioxidative properties.
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