Effects of simultaneous delivery of silver and zinc oxide on the efficacy of healing acute wounds.

This thesis is aimed to establish the efficiency of the simultaneous delivery of Silver (Ag), a proven antibacterial, and Zinc Oxide (ZnO), a compound shown to assist wound healing, in treating wounds, and how the extended release aspect of microspheres improves upon current available healing agent. A review of existing literature provided a foundation for the process of planning the healing agent design. Original research developed through this study is presented in the form of a journal article in Chapter II. This research looks at a new method of simultaneous delivery of Ag and ZnO. The research was planned to show how various ratios of these elements could avoid toxicity, maintain bacteriostatic properties, and decrease the amount of time it would take for a wound to heal. By using PLA as the encapsulating polymer and petrolatum gel as a base carrier, we were able to present a healing gel that provided results showing significant inhibition of bacteria, significant increase in wound closure, and a treatment that can last for an extended period of time. The discussion of future work provides a brief discussion of how alternative base carriers can be used to deliver the microspheres. The results presented in this work provide the foundation for a potential new form of healing gel that can be used on all forms of acute wounds.