Cellulose based thin films as a platform for drug release studies to mimick wound dressing materials

In this paper, the use of ultrathin cellulose supports as platform for the incorporation of analgesic drugs in wound dressings is proposed. As a model drug, diclofenac (DCF) is chosen, which is commonly used in pain easing medical treatments. The DCF containing cellulose films are prepared by mixing solutions of trimethylsilyl cellulose (DSSi:2.5) with DCF dissolved in THF. After depositing the material on a solid surface by spin-coating, the films are subjected to vapor-phase hydrolysis using 3 M HCl in order to achieve regeneration of cellulose. The release of DCF from these films over time is studied by UV–Vis. Upon deposition of additional layers of cellulose that do not contain DCF, the release from these films can be decelerated significantly. The release kinetics from these films is very similar to those of viscose fibers impregnated with DCF solutions. These studies indicate a potential use of cellulose thin films as model platform for viscose based wound dressings.