Gellan gum–based wound dressings

Gellan gum (GG) is biodegradable and biocompatible bacterial exopolysaccharide, which is usually extracted from fermentation using Pseudomonas elodea or Sphingomonas elodea. It has been successfully used as biopolymer in wound dressings. GG presents good acid resistance and thermo-responsiveness during the preparation of wound dressings. The compatibility and unique properties of GG-based dressings make them beneficial for wound healing applications. The nontoxicity, good compatibility, and excellent mechanical performance–based physicochemical properties of GG-based dressings can help in skin or tissue regeneration and sometimes slow drug release. The uses of GG as a wound dressing biomaterial has demonstrated encouraging results in terms of promoting cell growth and proliferation. The current chapter discusses about the uses of GG in wound dressing formulations and their characteristics. In addition, some basic features of wound dressings and GG as biomaterials have been described in this current chapter.