image: Schematic representation of the fabrication process of bee product-incorporated hydrogel networks. Chitosan-gelatin (Cs:Gel) mixtures were cast into Teflon molds to form polymeric thin films enriched with bee-derived bioactive compounds (honey, pollen, and propolis). The obtained films exhibit key properties such as being thin, adhesive, swellable, biodegradable, antioxidant, and antibacterial, making them potential candidates for biomedical applications, particularly in wound healing.
Credit: Didem Demir/Tarsus University, Oskay Kahraman/Tarsus University, Semih Latif İpek/ Adana Alparslan Türkeş Science and Technology University, Seda Ceylan/ Adana Alparslan Türkeş Science and Technology University
Bee products such as honey, pollen, and propolis loaded thin films were evaluated according to their potential as wound dressing material with different physicochemical analyses such as chemical structure, morphology, water retention capacity, wettability, degradability and water vapour permeability. The results obtained varied according to the type of bioactive substance. The contact angle and water vapour permeability properties of chitosan: gelatin films selected as control films were improved by adding bioactive substances. In addition, when evaluated in terms of biological properties, it was observed that the bee products loaded thin films exhibited high antioxidant and antibacterial activity.
To date, a substantial body of research has been conducted to investigate the impact of bee products on wound healing processes. As materials scientists, our objective in this study is to illustrate and analyze the alterations that occur in the final material as a consequence of the potential interactions between bee products and polymeric materials. For this purpose, honey, pollen, and propolis were selected as bee products that have been proven to have biological activity and are frequently used. Chitosan and gelatin, which are biodegradable and biocompatible natural polymers frequently preferred in the literature, were used as control samples. The polymer was processed into thin films by solvent casting method which is a cheap, uncomplicated, and fast production process. Composite films were produced by adding equal amounts of honey products to the structure and compared with the control sample and the changes in the structure and the potential interaction between polymers and honey products were discussed with different characterization methods. It is thought that the study will provide important contributions, especially for researchers working in material design as wound dressing material.
Bee products have been an important raw material used by humanity throughout history. As seen in this study, bee products were used successfully as raw materials in the production of polymeric films, which are value-added biomedical materials.
The bee products included in the polymer structure exhibited different characteristic features. The low mechanical integrity of the honey-added film (CG@HON) in an aqueous environment due to its high water retention property and fast release of honey has shown that it can be used for short-term skin renewal processes such as moisturizing.
On the other hand, the high bioactivity of pollen and propolis-added films reveals the potential of these films to be used as biocompatible antibacterial wound dressing films. In addition to their bioactive properties, the high-quality structural and biological properties (contact angle, elasticity, swelling ratio, antioxidant properties, antibacterial activity, etc.) of the films have shown the potential of these materials as biomedical products.
In future studies, biocompatibility studies of these polymeric films produced with bee products in terms of wound healing properties may give a better idea about the potential use of these films. In addition, controlled release properties may be determined to develop effective wound-healing dressings. On the other hand, since bee products and chitosan can be used in food packaging, antibacterial active packaging studies can be conducted by using polymeric films produced by bee materials. Thanks to their elastic structure and suitable properties, these films might be investigated for their potential use in foods that are highly susceptible to microbiological spoilage such as cheese and meat products.
This paper was published in Biofuctional Materials (ISSN: 2959-0582), an online multidisciplinary open access journal aiming to provide a peer-reviewed forum for innovation, research and development related to bioactive materials, biomedical materials, bio-inspired materials, bio-fabrications and other bio-functional materials.
The Article Processing Charges (APCs) are entirely waived for papers submitted before the end of 2025.
Demir D, Kahraman O, İpek SL, Ceylan S. Bee products loaded polymeric films as a potential dressing material for skin treatments. Biofunct. Mater. 2025(2):0006, https://doi.org/10.55092/bm20250006.
Journal
Biofunctional Materials
Method of Research
Experimental study
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
Bee products loaded polymeric films as a potential dressing material for skin treatments
Article Publication Date
3-Apr-2025