Allium Sativum as Antimicrobial Agent in Thermoplastic Sago Starch (TPSS) Films for Dermal Wound Healing

Abstract

Wound healing takes precedence as wounds can cause serious harm to humans. Most wound dressings developed nowadays were derived from non-biodegradable sources but there were several issues such as dehydration and bacterial infection. The purpose for this study is to investigate the significance of garlic effects (Allium sativum) as a vital source of allicin, which acts as an antimicrobial agent in thermoplastic sago starch (TPSS) dermal wound healing films. The TPSS films were fabricated from 6.5 wt. % of starch and 3.5 wt. % of glycerol, along with 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00 and 1.25 wt. % of garlic contents via solvent casting method. The samples named as TPSS/G00, TPSS/G25, TPSS/G50, TPSS/G75, TPSS/G100 and TPSS/G125, respectively. Based on the analysis, the TPSS/G25 film had achieved maximum tensile strength at 2.33 MPa with good thermal stability. This result was supported by the smooth surface from the micrograph of the film observed under scanning electron microscope (SEM). Yet, the allicin compounds were found missing as proven from the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra that showed the absence of antimicrobial properties for all films produced, as fabrication processes involved heating. Therefore, these films were unable to inhibit bacterial growth, as evidenced by the Kirby-Bauer test. It is concluded that the allicin in the garlic plays important roles as antimicrobial properties in fabricated films to meet the requirement as wound dressings.