- 45 views
- 59 downloads
Nanocrystalline Silver and Silver-Gold Materials for Inflammation Reduction and Surgical Adhesion Prevention
-
- Author / Creator
- Ward, Colleen Nancy
-
Surgical adhesions are caused by tissue trauma and inflammation and present a high clinical burden. Nanocrystalline silver is known to be a strong anti-inflammatory and antibacterial material. This thesis explores the potential for nanocrystalline silver and silver-gold to be used to treat inflammation in the abdominal cavity after surgery, therefore preventing the formation of adhesions. Nanocrystalline silver and silver-gold films were sputtered onto HDPE substrates. A novel fabrication process using high current and including both oxygen and water as reactive gases was compared to the standard process, and was found to create high-efficacy dressings with higher silver content and stability in solution. The novel process was found to decrease the grain size and percent of ammonia soluble silver compared to the standard process. For nanocrystalline silver-gold films, increasing gold content in the alloy was found to decrease the grain size in the standard process, but not consistently with the novel process. Higher gold content also increased the total mass sputtered onto the HDPE. An animal study is planned to assess the anti-inflammatory properties of nanocrystalline silver-gold film in a pig model of dermatitis. When soaked in water, nanocrystalline silver dissolves into solution, releasing only approximately 3% of the total silver in the film. These solutions are less effective anti-bacterial materials than direct contact with a solid dressing, but have potential to treat inflammation and preventing surgical adhesions. Nanocrystalline silver solutions were combined with hyaluronate (HA) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), biodegradable and biocompatible polymers, to make viscous solutions. The viscosity, degradation, and silver release were studied over a three day period. It was found that increasing the concentration of polymers increased the viscosity, but did not affect the rate of silver release or polymer degradation. pH was also adjusted, but did not have a significant effect within the range studied. An animal study is planned to test the anti-adhesion properties of HA-CMC and nanocrystalline silver viscous solutions in a pig surgical model of adhesions.
-
- Graduation date
- Fall 2024
-
- Type of Item
- Thesis
-
- Degree
- Doctor of Philosophy
-
- License
- This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Library with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.