Wound infections, especially those associated with burns, present a significant health challenge, leading to high morbidity and mortality rates. While antibiotics are typically the standard treatment for serious wounds, their effectiveness is increasingly compromised by issues such as cost, limited access, and the growing threat of bacterial resistance—especially when treatments are not completed. This problem is particularly acute in low- and middle-income countries, where burn-related infections cause a large number of deaths, particularly in rural areas.

Burn wounds are notoriously difficult to treat due to several complicating factors. The damage burns cause to the skin disrupts the protective barrier, allowing opportunistic bacteria to thrive on the nutrients exuded from the wound. Additionally, burns compromise blood supply and weaken the local immune response. When burns cover more than a fifth of the body, they often trigger systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), further complicating infection management.

A recent study published in the International Journal of Biomedical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology explored the potential of using silver-containing antimicrobial nanoparticles, not as traditional topical antiseptics, but as a sustained-release component in advanced wound dressings.

Recognizing that the cost of such dressings could be prohibitive, a team from KLE University in Belagavi, India, has developed a low-cost, antimicrobial starch-based polymer film. This innovative film embeds silver nanoparticles, synthesized using a simple method involving tea extracts. The use of these plant extracts offers additional benefits, as they contain polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.

The research team, comprising Sambuddha Dinda, Anuradha B. Patil, Sumati Annigeri Hogade, and Abhishek Bansal, demonstrated that their starch-based film exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against various types of bacteria, including the persistent Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

“This study demonstrated the antimicrobial efficacy of a low-cost starch-based polymer film containing silver nanoparticles with antioxidant biomolecules from green tea, which can be easily fabricated and used for wound dressing,” the researchers concluded.

This low-cost, eco-friendly solution holds promise for improving burn wound care, particularly in resource-limited settings where traditional treatments may be inaccessible or ineffective.

By Impact Lab