Wound healing is a complex, multi factorial process in which the skin repairs itself after
injury. Proper healing of wounds is essential for the restoration of disrupted anatomical continuity and
disturbed functional status of the skin. However, this process is delayed or impaired in patients with
wound-healing abnormalities. These chronic nonhealing wounds are considered a critical problem in
clinical practice. This study aimed to synthesize a biocompatible natural protein-based wound dressing
that was able to deliver bioactive molecules for the treatment of difficult-to-treat chronic wounds. Bovine
serum albumin (BSA) was chosen as a model protein. Dressings were prepared as a hydrogel or gel pad
containing 10 μg.mL-1 ciprofloxacin and 10 μM astaxanthin. The dressing was characterized in terms of
morphology, absorption and antibiotic release. Antimicrobial activity, biocompatibility and proliferation
were investigated. The results revealed that the hydrogel surface had a porous structure. The absorption
capacity of the hydrogel increased with an increase in the immersion time and reached equilibrium
within 3 d. The BSA hydrogel had activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa with a log reduction value
of 6.19 ± 0.12. At day 1 and 2, 4.24 and 1.31 μg.mL-1 of ciprofloxacin, respectively, were released from
the BSA pad and resulted in 6.32 ± 0.16 and 5.08 ± 0.2 log reduction, respectively. A culture of Vero
cells with the dressing material indicated that it had no cytotoxicity. Astaxanthin incorporated into both
dressings promoted cell proliferation at the highest rate on day 1. These characteristics suggest both
dressings had potential for wound healing