2009). Further, it can incorporate any kind of drugs into nanofibres through

electrospinning technique and is capable to deliver it locally in a faster way. The

biocompatible

and

biodegradable

polymers

like

chitosan,

gelatin,

poly(-

ε-caprolactone), poly(lactic acid), poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(lactic acid-co-

glycolic acid) are capable to form nanofibre using electrospinning technique.

These nanofibres are capable to appropriate substrate for cell proliferation and

migration which trigger the repairing of the damage tissues and, thereby, encourage

new tissue restoration (Shim et al. 2008; Lee et al. 2009). Polymeric dressing

materials are capable to incorporate and deliver biologically active molecules. But,

the most challenging part in delivering is that any therapeutic agent has to maintain

the therapeutic concentration at the wound site throughout its delivery which

depends on the diffusion mechanism of the drug from the dressing material and its

penetration ability through skin barrier. The controlled release of therapeutic agents

decreases the total amount of released therapeutic agents initially and ultimately

improves its bioavailability for longer period of time which triggers the healing

process of most wounds (Verreck et al. 2003).

30.2

Dressing Materials

For proper healing of wounds, whether it is a minor cut or major incision, it is

necessary to take care of it. Proper dressing of wounds plays an important role in

wound management, and the selection of proper dressing depends on the nature of

wounds. An ideal dressing material should have the following characteristics, viz.

(a) it should maintain proper moist condition surrounding the wound, (b) it should

boost the epidermal migration, (c) it should allow adequate gas exchange between

wound tissue and environment, (d) it should inhibit the bacterial infections, (e) it

should endorse the angiogenesis and connecting tissue generation and (f) it should

be non-adherent to the wound and easy to take out after healing (Dhivya et al. 2015).

From ancient age (2500 BCE), wet to dry dressings have been used to promote

wound debridement, and clay tablets and linen strips soaked in oil or grease covered

with plasters were usually used to heal the wounds. The wounds were cleaned with

milk or water before dressing with honey or resin (Carla Daunton et al. 2012).

Antiseptic dressing was first introduced in the nineteenth century in which antibiotic

drugs were used to prevent the infection and reduce the mortality while in early

twentieth century; the modern dressing material was introduced (Shah 2011).

Generally, traditional dressing includes gauze, lint, plasters, bandages (natural or

synthetic) and dry cotton wool. These traditional dressings are basically used as

primary or secondary dressing for protecting wounds from contamination (Boateng

et al. 2008). But, they need to change frequently to inhibit the softening of the

healthy tissues. Further, these dressings get easily moistened due to excessive wound

drainage which makes them adherent to the wound resulting it painful during

removal. Hence, traditional dressings are better for clean or dry wounds with mild

exudates, or they are useful as secondary dressings. Xeroform™is an example of

non-occlusive dressing (petrolatum gauze with 3% bismuth tribromophenate)

30

Polymeric Vehicles for Controlled Delivery of Ayurvedic Drugs for Wound. . .

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