“Bed sores” owe their name to the observation that patients who were bedridden and not properly repositioned would often develop ulcerations or sores on their skin, typically over bony prominences. These bed sores, which result from prolonged pressure, are also called “decubitus ulcers,” “pressure sores,” “skin breakdown,” and “pressure ulcers.” They are associated with adverse health outcomes and high treatment costs. This study focuses on developing herbal finish to prevent bed sores. For this purpose, functional finishing was utilized to produce a bedsore preventing fabric. Plain weave cotton fabric was dyed by using herbal extracts, dried, and then cured. Two samples in different ratios (1 : 2 and 2 : 1) of two herbal extracts (
The skin is a large barrier organ that protects the human body from environmental hazards (heat, cold, chemicals, mechanical forces, etc.) and maintains the integrity of the body, whereas the clothing system provides extra layer(s) of barrier to enhance the aesthetic, thermophysiological, and sensorial comfort of the wearer [
Time versus pressure curve for tissue breakdown in a canine model [
Bed sores can result from one period of sustained pressure on the skin; however, most bed sores probably occur as a result of repeated incidents of blood flow interruption without adequate time for recovery. In fact, low pressure endured for long periods of time is believed to be more significant in producing pressure ulcers than higher pressure for shorter durations. The role that textiles play in the prevention and formation of these injuries is examined.
Plain weave cotton fabric with 60s yarn count, EPI: 88, and PPI: 86.
See Table
SI number | Botanical name | Common name | Chemical constituents | |
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( |
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Mango (leaf) | C-Glucoside xanthone mangiferin, tannins, alkaloids, glycosides, terpenoids, flavonoids, amino acids, proteins, euxanthin acid, and euxanthon. | |
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( |
Triphala dried fruits | |||
(a) |
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Tannins, chebulagic acid, chebulinic acid, ellagic acid, a tannin terchebin, an ellagitannin terchebulin, syringic acid, and gallic acid. | |
(b) |
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Hexahydroxydiphenic acid ester, |
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(c) |
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Indian gooseberry/amla | Organic acids—ascorbic acid, vitamin, tannin; bioflavonoids—quercetin, kaempferol; polyphenols—gallic acid; cytokinins—zeatin. |
The selected herbs were dried in sunshade and grinded. Methanol extract of the herbs was obtained and tested for antibacterial and wound healing property. Chitosan was then diluted with citric acid. Scoured and bleached fabric was padded, dried, and cured with and without binder. Fabric was then tested for its antibacterial and wound healing property, washing fastness, air permeability, wicking ability, and water absorbency. Finally its results were discussed (see Figure
Herbal extract along with binder.
Methanol extract of
See Table
Samples | M1 | M2 | C1 | C2 |
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2% | 1% | 2% | 1% |
Triphala dried fruits extract | 1% | 2% | 1% | 2% |
Chitosan diluted with citric acid (fabric dipped for 30 min) |
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6% | 6% |
MLR ratio (fabric dipped for 2 hrs) | 1 : 20 | 1 : 20 | 1 : 20 | 1 : 20 |
Drying (for 5 min) | 80°C | 80°C | 80°C | 80°C |
Curing (for 2 min) | 150–180°C | 150–180°C | 150–180°C | 150–180°C |
Fabric specimen is cut into the size of
The wickability of treated and untreated plain weave cotton fabric samples was assessed by time for wetting. The vertical wicking test results are shown the table.
The wicking property of the finished fabric has been improved for all the samples when compared with the bleached fabric. Wickability of the samples treated with chitosan is highly increased (see Table
Wickability result of the treated and untreated fabric samples.
SI number | Type of the sample | Wicking height in centimeters |
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1 | Bleached fabric | 5 |
2 | Sample 1-M1 | 7.5 |
3 | Sample 2-M2 | 7.5 |
4 | Sample 3-C1 | 9 |
5 | Sample 4-C2 | 9.5 |
Comparison of wickability results of the treated and untreated samples.
It is used to measure the time taken for the fabric to absorb a drop of water. The absorption rate of fabric changes as per the thickness of the fabric, weave structure, and finishes applied to the fabric.
The time taken to absorb a drop of water is decreased in the finished samples when compared with the bleached sample. This shows that the absorbency is increased after finishing. Comparing to all the four samples sample 3-C1 showed good absorbency (see Table
Drop Test result for the treated and untreated fabric samples.
SI number | Name of the samples | Time taken to absorb a drop of water in seconds | |||
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Trial 1 | Trial 2 | Trial 3 | AVG | ||
1 | Bleached fabric | 11.36 | 10.91 | 10.84 | 11.03 |
2 | Sample 1-M1 | 11.25 | 11.29 | 12.50 | 11.68 |
3 | Sample 2-M2 | 12.62 | 12.89 | 12.08 | 12.53 |
4 | Sample 3-C1 | 9.56 | 9.03 | 9.33 | 9.30 |
5 | Sample 4-C2 | 10.36 | 10.37 | 10.67 | 10.46 |
Comparison of Drop Test results of the treated and untreated fabric samples.
It is the volume of air measured in cubic cm passed per second through 1 cm2 for the fabric at a pressure one cm head of water. It is measured by using air permeability tester. The air permeability of a fabric is a measure of how well it allows the passage of air through it.
Air permeability is an important factor in the performance of textile materials used to provide an indication of the breathability of coated fabrics. The air permeability of treated and untreated plain weave of cotton fabric samples was assessed. Consider
Air permeability of the plain weave cotton fabric is high in all the treated samples compared to the untreated samples (see Table
Average value evaluation of air permeability.
SI number | Name of the samples | Rotameter reading | Air permeability | Air permeability | ||
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Trial 1 | Trial 2 | AVG | (cc/sec/cm)2 | (cc/sec/cm)2/60 | ||
1 | Bleached fabric | 242 | 304 | 273 | 18.9 | 0.315 |
2 | Sample 1-M1 | 376 | 344 | 360 | 25 | 0.416 |
3 | Sample 2-M2 | 450 | 410 | 430 | 29.8 | 0.496 |
4 | Sample 3-C1 | 360 | 370 | 365 | 25.3 | 0.422 |
5 | Sample 4-C2 | 480 | 490 | 485 | 33.6 | 0.561 |
Average value evaluation of air permeability.
Antibacterial activity of the herbal extract.
Plant extract |
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Concentration | 25 |
50 |
75 |
100 |
25 |
50 |
75 |
100 |
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Nil | Nil | 6 mm | 11 mm | Nil | Nil | 8 mm | 12 mm |
Triphala dried fruits | 11 mm | 13 mm | 15 mm | 21 mm | 10 mm | 12 mm | 14 mm | 16 mm |
Antibacterial activity of the herbal extract.
Only sample 1-M1 and sample 3-C1 have antibacterial activity against
Antibacterial activity of textile fabric coated with the herbal extract.
SI number | Name of the samples |
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1 | Sample 1-M1 | 3 mm | Nil |
2 | Sample 2-M2 | Nil | Nil |
3 | Sample 3-C1 | 11 mm | Nil |
4 | Sample 4-C2 | Nil | Nil |
Control (chloramphenicol) |
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Antibacterial test of the treated samples.
The herbal extract of Triphala dried fruits containing compounds with angiogenesis modulating properties showed strong angiogenic activity in CAM (chorioallantoic membrane) treated with herbal extract, by increasing the size and number of blood vessels as compared to the control.
The herbal based treated cloth C1 showed better angiogenic activity in CAM. The size and number of blood vessels were high compared to control egg treated with saline (see Table
Angiogenic activity of herbal extract and herbal based textile fabric.
Sample name | Number of blood vessel formation |
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Triphala dried fruits | 12 |
M1 | Nil |
M2 | Nil |
C1 | 16 |
C2 | Nil |
Control | 8 |
Wound healing test of the treated sample C1.
Only sample C1 has the washing fastness of antibacterial property for up to 3 washes, which shows that chitosan acts as a binder up to certain level (see Table
Antibacterial activity of fabric coated with the herbal extract (for washing fastness).
SI number | Name of the sample |
|
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1 | C1, up to 3 washes | 3 mm |
2 | C1, up to 5 washes | Nil |
Control (chloramphenicol) | 24 mm |
Only sample C1 has the washing fastness for wound healing property for more than 10 washes, which shows that chitosan acts as a binder up to certain level (see Table
Wound healing activity of fabric coated with the herbal extract (for washing fastness).
Sample name | Number of blood vessel formation |
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C1, up to 3 washes | 14 |
C1, up to 5 washes | 13 |
C1, up to 10 washes | 10 |
Control | 8 |
In this work, herbal based antibacterial finish was applied to the cotton fabric. Extracts of
Based on the tests conducted, the obtained results were shown in the tables and figures. According to the results, the treated samples M1 and C1 showed good antibacterial property and sample C1 showed excellent wound healing property. The samples treated with chitosan have high wickability and water absorbency properties. Air permeability in the bleached fabric is low and it has been increased in all the treated samples. Washing fastness result shows that the fabric treated with chitosan shows antibacterial property for up to 3 washes and wound healing property for more than 10 washes.
So it is concluded that sample C1 has much better properties for preventing bed sore. The herbal extract of
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.