Cytotoxicity of selected antiseptics and the safety of wound treatment

<ns3:p>Although antiseptics are commonly used in wound treatment as antimicrobial agents, their effect on human cells remains debatable. Despite their well-documented bactericidal efficacy, many antiseptics can cause adverse reactions including cytotoxicity towards fibroblasts and keratinocytes, which can negatively affect the wound healing process. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the available data on the cytotoxicity of selected antiseptics used in wound treatment. Based on the data available in medical literature, it has been demonstrated that octenidine has a relatively high Biocompatibility Index (BI), which makes it safer to use, especially in chronic wounds. In contrast, preparations containing chlorhexidine, iodine, hydrogen peroxide, triclosan, or silver compounds may exhibit pronounced cytotoxicity, which may limit their use.</ns3:p>