Ethiopian plants as basis for wound dressings
A recent research schows the potential of antibacterial treated gauze fabric using leaf extract as potential wound dressing.
During the study, two indigenous Ethiopian medicinal plants, namely R. prinoides and C. macrostachyus, were applied into gauze cotton fabric by pad-cure-dry method, using citric acid as a crosslinker. Various extract concentrations (3%, 5%, and 10%) were applied to fabric to assess their bacterial efficiency against S. aureus and E. coli. The findings of the investigation revealed that a fabric treated with 10% R. prinoides leaf extract exhibited inhibition zones of 8.2 mm against S. aureus and 6.75 mm against E. coli, whereas 10% C. macrostachyus leaf extract treated fabric showed inhibition zone of 5.4 and 2.42 mm, respectively.
Antibacterial properties
Fabrics treated with concentrations lower than 10% of the extract in an in vitro study exhibited nontoxic effects, leading to an increase in cell viability rates for both plant extracts. After 48 h, treated fabrics exhibited a release of 73.3%, 75.9%, and 81.8% for R. prinoides leaf extract and 58.3%, 66.1%, and 77.8% for C. macrostachyus extract treated with 3%, 5%, and 10% concentrations, respectively. Furthermore, the plant extract treated fabrics showed an improvement in water absorbency and fabric stiffness. Generally, an increase in the concentration of plant leaf extract leads to enhanced antibacterial properties, water absorption, and softness.
The study has been published in Journal of Coatings Technology and Research, Volume 22, pages 299–308, (2025).
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