Synthesis of quaternized chitosan and its application in cotton as wound-dressing material

The antimicrobial and hemostatic activities of wound dressings have been drawing more and more attention in the healthcare or medical industry. Here, quaternary ammonium groups were introduced in the chitosan backbone by way of copolymerization, and the quaternized chitosan was coated on cotton fabric through the pad–dry–cure process. Compared with 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride-treated cotton, the breaking strength of chitosan-block-poly(3-[dimethyl-[2-(2-methylprop-2-enoyloxy)ethyl]azaniumyl]propane-1-sulfonate) (CS-b-pSBMA)-coated cotton (cotton/SBMA) was not affected by the addition of CS-b-pSBMA. The SBMA-coated cotton displayed good liquid adsorptive activity with or without pressure. As a dressing material, cotton/SBMA exhibited good hemostatic activity and hemocompatibility. After being challenged with Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Staphylococcus aureus for 60 min, cotton/SBMA showed good antimicrobial properties, and 100% of bacteria were inhibited within the contact time. These attractive functions make quaternized-chitosan-coated cotton fabrics a good candidate for wound-dressing materials.