Investigation of the Effects of Zinc Oxide-Modified Bacterial Cellulose Nanocomposites on Cell Viability and Proliferation

The aim of this study was to synthesize nanocomposites by incorporating zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles into bacterial cellulose (BC) membranes produced by Komagataeibacter rhaeticus and to evaluate the ZnO release kinetics, cytotoxicity, and proliferation effects on L929 fibroblast cells. BC membranes were produced under static culture conditions in Hestrin-Schramm medium and BC-ZnO nanocomposites were prepared via the immersion method at concentrations ranging from 1% to 3% ZnO. ZnO release was monitored for 7 days in PBS using UV-VIS spectrophotometry and analyzed using Higuchi and Korsmeyer-Peppas models. Biocompatibility was assessed using the MTT assay (24, 48, 72 h) and Scratch assay for cell migration on L929 fibroblasts. Release studies indicated that increasing ZnO concentration decreased the diffusion rate, with 1% ZnO samples fitting the Korsmeyer-Peppas model (n=0.7; Non-Fickian diffusion) most accurately. MTT results showed that ZnO concentrations lower than 1% were non-toxic and significantly enhanced proliferation at 48-72 h (p<0.05). Scratch assay analysis confirmed that 0.5% and 0.1% ZnO groups achieved faster wound closure at 72 and 96 hours compared to control groups (p<0.05). The findings suggest that BC membranes modified with low concentrations of ZnO are biocompatible and support cell proliferation. These nanocomposites are promising candidates for advanced wound dressing applications.