Fabrication & characterization of neem oil-loaded hydrophobic PVA film for rapid hemostasis and minimizing blood loss in wound dressing.

The objective of this investigation is to develop a dressing film with a blood-repellent surface to improve hemostatic performance while minimizing excessive blood loss from absorption and potentially reducing clot-dressing adhesion. As a result, a modified technique was utilized to fabricate a hydrophobic film made of PVA and neem seed oil. The developed film underwent multiple physicochemical studies to determine its structure and properties. The films exhibited increasing hydrophobicity with neem oil incorporation, as evidenced by water contact angle values rising from 47.8° (pure PVA) to 93.56° (PVA with 4% NSO), which suggests a potential reduction in adhesion risk. Kirby-Bauer agar diffusion assays demonstrated inhibition zones of up to 14 ± 0.1 mm against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, indicating preliminary antibacterial activity. Hemostatic evaluation revealed enhanced red blood cell and platelet adhesion, with the optimized PVA/NSO (A4) film exhibiting a blood clotting index (BCI) approximately 28% lower than that of the gauze control, indicating enhanced in vitro clotting efficiency compared with the gauze control. Qualitative assessment demonstrated that the films maintained good flexibility and structural integrity under bending, twisting, and stretching. Biodegradation studies showed weight loss of 25.7% for PVA/NSO films after 28 days, confirming environmental compatibility. Collectively, these results demonstrate that PVA/NSO composite films possess hydrophobicity, antibacterial activity, mechanical stability, and superior hemostatic performance, making them promising candidates for wound dressing and rapid hemostasis applications.