Development of Antibacterial Cotton Wound Dressings Using Kamala Natural Dye and Bio-Mordants: Evaluating the Efficacy of Mordanting Techniques Against Nosocomial Pathogens

Saeedfar, Fatemeh; Shahmoradi Ghaheh, Fatemeh; Atyabi, Sayyedeh Rahmaneh; Sadeghi, Zahra

doi:10.22034/jtst.2026.588139.1557

Development of Antibacterial Cotton Wound Dressings Using Kamala Natural Dye and Bio-Mordants: Evaluating the Efficacy of Mordanting Techniques Against Nosocomial Pathogens

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research/ Original/ Regular Article

Authors

Fatemeh Saeedfar ¹

Fatemeh Shahmoradi Ghaheh ²

Sayyedeh Rahmaneh Atyabi ³

Zahra Sadeghi ³

¹ Imam Mohammad Bagher (AS) Senior High School

² Department of Environment, Urmia University of Technology, Urmia, Iran

³ Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Hezar-Jereeb Street, 81746-73441, Isfahan, Iran

10.22034/jtst.2026.588139.1557

Abstract

Infections caused by bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli are among the factors threatening the health of patients. Conventional cotton wound dressings lack antimicrobial properties and provide suitable conditions for bacterial growth, leading to delayed wound healing, increased risk of secondary infections, and antibiotic resistance. The use of wound dressings containing plant pigments with antibacterial properties has been considered as a novel approach for infection control. The aim of this study was to use a natural dye extracted from the fuzz of Kamala fruit (agricultural waste) for dyeing cotton bandages and gauze. This plant has high antimicrobial activity due to its phenolic and tannin compounds. In order to enhance dyeability and increase antibacterial activity, aqueous extracts of black tea, plantain, pomegranate peel, black myrobalan, and cumin were used as bio-mordants in both pre-mordanting and post-mordanting methods. The results showed that samples dyed with pomegranate peel, plantain, and black tea extracts had effective antibacterial activity against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. The highest inhibitory effect was observed in samples that were first dyed with Kamala natural dye and then mordanted with plantain and pomegranate peel. These findings demonstrate the high potential of the studied plant compounds for producing antibacterial wound dressings and their therapeutic applications.

Keywords

Kamala

Antibacterial properties

Cotton wound dressing

Green synthesis

Hospital infections

Subjects