Degradable Hemostatic Antibacterial Zein Nanofibrous Mats as Anti‐Adhesive Wound Dressing

Strong blood adhesion to dressing may cause secondary damage to the wounds during the wound dressing replacement process. Thus, blood repellent dressings have significant potential applications in wound treatment. Herein, a hydrophobic, degradable, and antibacterial dressing is reported to reduce the blood adhesion and prevent infection around the wounds. The dressing is prepared by cross‐linked non‐woven zein nanofibers with quaternized titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles coating. The dual hydrophobic structures supported by zein nanofibers and the quaternized TiO2 nanoparticles coating provide outstanding water/blood repellency for the dressing, and efficiently prevent blood leakage. Meanwhile, the dressing also possesses appropriate moisture permeability (2194 ± 143 mL m−2 per day). In addition, the quaternized TiO2 nanoparticles coating provides excellent bactericidal activity against Gram‐negative Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Gram‐positive Staphylococcus aureus, especially under visible Xe lamp illumination. Evaluations of hemolysis and cytocompatibility confirm that the fabricated mat is biocompatible and non‐toxic to the cells. Considering the excellent degradable features, the dressing may become a promising environmentally friendly biomedical material. This paper reports a degradable, antibacterial, and anti‐adhesive wound dressing based on crosslinked zein protein nanofibers and modified TiO2 nanoparticles. The zein‐based dressing exhibits excellent repellency to water and blood due to its dual nano‐hydrophobic structures, and the blood repellency can significantly reduce the peeling force of the dressing. It is believed that this study makes a significant contribution to develop the application of environmentally friendly zein materials in the medical field.