Antimicrobial

An important additional positive effect of the HemCon Dental Dressing is chitosan’s antimicrobial activity. Because of the global growth in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the importance of an antimicrobial, locally operative product has increased. And this is especially true when such products are used to treat wounds that are potentially contaminated. Theoretically, the chemical composition of chitosan is such that it should have an antimicrobial effect. This was tested in experiments with mice that focused on the effect on two gram-negative sorts of bacteria and one gram-positive sort. The first gram-negative sort was Pseudomonas aeruginosa, bacteria that can lead to fatal infections. The second gram-negative sort was Proteus mirabilis, which is associated with infections of the urinary tract. In comparison with these, the gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus is less virulent.

 

The mice were infected with these three bacteria. Then bleeding was induced by a cut. The mice had been divided per bacteria into three-one: the wound in group 1 was not treated, the wounds in group 2 were treated with a bandage with sulfadiazine and the wounds in group 3 were treated with a HemCon bandage. The conclusion from the experiment was clear: the mice treated with HemCon material had a significantly higher chance of surviving as a result of the antibacterial activity of chitosan. The mice in the other two groups often died from an infection related to blood poisoning.

FDA

The antibacterial effect of chitosan can be attributed to a great extent to the positive charge of the amino groups. There is an interaction with the cell walls of the gram-negative bacteria, causing the cell wall to disintegrate and the bacteria to die. The positive charge causes this antibacterial effect and creates a binding with the red blood cells. Independent of blood cells and clotting factors, the red blood cells form a sponge-like seal which stops bleeding. This seal also prevents endotoxic bacteria from entering the blood, where they can cause blood poisoning.

 

Partly as a result of these experiments, HemCon products have now been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This also applies to products for oral surgery. On the FDA site, the product is compactly described as follows: The HemCon Dental Dressing is an oral wound dressing intended as a physical barrier for temporary protection of oral mucosa tissue and to provide pain relief.