Abstract :Abstract
In this study, the development of antimicrobial nanocomposite wound dressings has been investigated. This nanocomposite comprises chitosan as hydrogel matrix, Nano ZnO (nZnO) as antimicrobial agent and curcumin as wound healing agent. However, both nZnO and curcumin have limitations such as low solubility and lack of anchoring sites hence hindering their activity. Chitosan plays dual role during nanocomposite fabrication, i.e. acts as hydrogel matrix as well as leads to solubility enhancement of both the bioactive agents by developing core-shell structure. Solvent casting method was employed for the development of antimicrobial nanocomposite membranes and these membranes exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity against E. coli and S. aureus, thus inhibiting the bacterial growth.