LAUSR

Abstract In this work, pectin derived from Cyclea Barbata Miers (CBM) was successfully blended with chitosan as a novel membrane and the physico-chemical analysis was investigated. Based on SEM analysis revealed that the chitosan/pectin blended membrane showed a rough surface texture compared to pristine chitosan with smooth and uniform membran. In addition, fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis indicates that chitosan and pectin were successfully crosslinked, meanwhile x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis found that pectin extracted from CBM exhibited crystalline structure. Thermal analysis based on thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) suggesting that chitosan/pectin blend membrane exhibited significant improvement in the thermal stability with residual mass of 54 % at 360 oC. Furthermore, swelling degree, water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) and porosity of the chitosan/pectin blend membrane were 266 %, 9.68 g/m2h, and 64 %, respectively. Most importantly, in-vivo results indicated that the prepared membrane of chitosan/pectin immobilized with Musa Paradisiaca Linn (MPL) group had better wound closure with better wound reduction percentage than the gauze-treated wound (the control group). This finding revealed that the chitosan/pectin blend membrane could paves the way for future biomedical wound dressing application.