'Intelligent' bandage of plant origin, biocompatible and biodegradable. Paves the way for the development of similar devices for the treatment of different types of skin lesions, such as lacerations or ulcers.
The bandage is impregnated with vitamin C, a known natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, and then placed on the burn, where it releases vitamin C. The result halves the levels of three key molecules linked to inflammation and reduces free radicals by up to 70%. The goal will be to build a very similar device, but using products deriving from food waste to fit into a circular economy context, says researcher Fabrizio Fiorentini, from the Smart Materials laboratory at IIT in Milan, Italy. The results of preclinical tests were performed which confirmed the device's ability to reduce inflammation. "This is just one of the possible applications for this type of intelligent materials," adds Athanassia Athanassiou, from IIT's Smart Materials group.