Abstract:
Chitosan/cotton gauze pads containing citronella oil loaded cyclodextrin using a solvent-casting method were prepared. Firstly, chitosan powder 1% (w/v) in 1% (v/v) acetic acid solution was dissolved. To enhance antimicrobial activity, citronella oil loaded cyclodextrin was loaded into chitosan solution at various percent loadings of 5, 10, 15 (%wt based on chitosan). Then, the chitosan solution was poured on cotton gauze and allowed to completely dry at room temperature for a couple of days. The pads were then tested for their properties. The result indicated that cotton gauze notably improved dimension stability of chitosan film. However, tensile strength of chitosan/cotton gauze pad were lower than chitosan film due to the imbedded cotton gauze discontinued chitosan film matrix. The water absorption of chitosan/cotton gauze pad was much higher than cotton gauze as well as chitosan film. For antibacterial testing, chitosan/cotton gauze pad exhibited an improvement in antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus when compared to cotton gauze. When considering chitosan/cotton gauze pad loaded with 5 %wt citronella oil loaded cyclodextrin, the tensile strength was found to be higher which could be attributed to the reinforcement effect of citronella oil loaded cyclodextrin arising from the good dispersion. However, above 5 wt% citronella oil loaded cyclodextrin, tensile strength values were dropped due to the aggregation problem of citronella oil loaded cyclodextrin. For antimicrobial testing, pads containing citronella oil loaded cyclodextrin exhibited an improvement in antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus when compared to chitosan/cotton gauze fabric pad.