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Bacteriophage (phage) has been reported to reduce the bacterial infection in delayed-healing wounds and, as a result, aiding in the healing of said wounds. In this study we investigated whether the presence of phage itself could help repair delayed-healing wounds in diabetic mice. Three strains of phage that target Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were used. To prevent the phage liquid from running off the wound, the mixture of phage (phage-cocktail) was encapsulated in a porous hydrogel dressing made with three-dimensional printing. The phage-cocktail dressing was tested for its phage preservation and release efficacy, bacterial reduction, cytotoxicity with 3T3 fibroblast, and performance in repairing a sterile full-thickness skin wound in diabetic mice. The phage-cocktail dressing released 1.7%-5.7% of the phages embedded in 24 h, and reduced between 37%-79% of the surface bacteria compared with the blank dressing (p <.05). The phage-cocktail dressing exhibited no sign of cytotoxicity after 3 days (p <.05). In vivo studies showed that 14 days after incision, the full-thickness wound treated with a phage-cocktail dressing had a higher wound healing ratio compared with the blank dressing and control (p <.01). Histological analysis showed that the structure of the skin layers in the group treated with phage-cocktail dressing was restored in an orderly fashion. Compared with the blank dressing and control, the repaired tissue in the phage-cocktail dressing group had new capillary vessels and no sign of inflammation in its dermis, and its epidermis had a higher degree of re-epithelialization (p <.05). The slow-released phage has demonstrated positive effects in repairing diabetic skin wounds., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Skin wounds are susceptible to infection, leading to severe inflammatory reactions that can progress to chronic wounds, ultimately causing significant physical and mental distress to the patient. In this study, we propose an injectable composite hydrogel achieved through one-pot gelation of oxidized xyloglucan (OXG), cationic polyamide ε-poly-l-lysine (EPL), and surface amino-rich silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs). OXG exhibits commendable anti-inflammatory properties and provides crosslinking sites. SiNPs serve as mechanically reinforced crosslinkers, facilitating the construction of a dynamic Schiff base network. SiNPs significantly reduced the gelation time to 3 s and tripled the storage modulus of the hydrogels. Additionally, the combination of EPL and SiNPs demonstrated synergistic antimicrobial activity against both S. aureus and E. coli. Notably, the hydrogel effectively halted liver bleeding within 30 s. The hydrogel demonstrated outstanding shear-thinning and self-healing properties, crucial considerations for the design of injectable hydrogels. Furthermore, its efficacy was evaluated as a wound dressing in a mouse model with S. aureus infection. The results indicated that, compared to commercial products, the hydrogel exhibited a shorter wound healing time, decreased inflammation, thinner epithelium, increased hair follicles, enhanced neovascularization, and more substantial collagen deposition. These findings strongly suggest the promising potential of the proposed hydrogel as an effective wound dressing for the treatment of infected wounds., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Infection is a major problem that increases the normal pH of the wound bed and interferes with wound healing. Natural biomaterials can serve as a suitable environment to acquire a great practical effect on the healing process. In this context, anthocyanin-rich red cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata F. rubra) extract and honey-loaded alginate hydrogel was fabricated using calcium chloride as a crosslinking agent. The pH sensitivity of anthocyanins can be used as an indicator to monitor possible infection of the wound, while honey would promote the healing process by its intrinsic properties. The mechanical properties of the hydrogel film samples showed that honey acts as a plasticizer and that increasing the incorporation from 200% to 400% enhances the tensile strength from 3.22 to 6.15 MPa and elongation at break from 0.69% to 4.75%. Moreover, a water absorption and retention study showed that the hydrogel film is able to absorb about 250% water after 50 min and retain 40% of its absorbed water after 12 h. The disk diffusion test showed favorable antibacterial activity of the honey-loaded hydrogel against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, respectively. In addition, the incorporation of honey significantly improved the mechanical properties of the hydrogel. 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay proved the antioxidant activity of the honey and anthocyanin-containing hydrogel samples with more than 95% DPPH scavenging efficiency after 3 h. The pH-dependent property of the samples was investigated and recorded by observing the color change at different pH values of 4, 7, and 9 using different buffers. The result revealed a promising color change from red at pH = 4 to blue at pH = 7 and purple at pH = 9. An in vitro cell culture study of the samples using L929 mouse fibroblast cells showed excellent biocompatibility with significant increase in cell proliferation. Overall, this study provides a promising start and an antibacterial/antioxidant hydrogel with great potential to meet wound-dressing requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study was to produce modified cotton hydrogel composite wound dressings by antibacterial nisin incorporation and biocompatible carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCht):alginate impregnation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study where an antibacterial polypeptide nisin containing hydrogel wound dressing was obtained for wound healing application. The produced hydrogel composite wound dressings retained their porous structures after polymer modification as well as they had an appropriate water vapor transmission rate. Furthermore, because of their hydrogel structures they had a high water up-take capacity and exhibited viscoelastic properties. They also had an antibacterial activity against gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and no cytotoxicity on fibroblast cell. Texture profile analysis was used to obtain the mechanical properties of wound dressing for the first time and it was observed that wound dressings had a high compressive strength. Consequently, the produced hydrogel composite wound dressings would be suitable as a short-term dressing material for acute wounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To combat the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria, a locally isolated bacteriophage (HZJ) targeting H5α Escherichia coli was used as an antibacterial agent to make wound dressing samples in this study. The phages were physically embedded within an alginate hydrogel sample so that they could later be released with their tails being free during the infection process, which preserves their lytic activity. The HZJ phage isolated in the study have a 20 min latent period and are stable between pH 6 and pH 9 and at temperatures below 45 °C. The addition of phage to an E. coli culture suppressed over 99% of bacterial growth in 2-h (p < 0.001). Phage-embedded hydrogel fibers were used to create porous wound dressing material using three-dimensional (3D) printing. The majority of phage lytic activity (85%–90%) was preserved after encapsulation. After they were embedded in samples, HZJ lysed 57% to 67% of bacteria (p < 0.001) within 2 h and the antibacterial effects lasted at least 24 h. The small amount of phage released in 2 h was able to quickly replicate and effectively lysed the majority of the bacterial hosts. Phage-embedded alginate samples released 10% of its incorporated phage particles in 24 h. The SEM micrographs show that, compared to phage-free samples, fewer E.coli cells were observed on phage-embedded samples 2 h after bacteria were exposed to the samples. The phage-embedded sample was not cytotoxic to L929 cells. The presence of HZJ in alginate hydrogel promoted cell growth (p < 0.01) and adhesion to the samples. Further, the existence of phage did not alter the tensile strength and modulus of samples (p > 0.05). An antibacterial dressing capable of slowly releasing lytic phages and effectively suppressing bacterial growth for up to 24 h was produced in this study. This model represents an attractive means to reduce use of antibiotics and other additives in conventional dressings. Unlabelled Image • Bacteriophage-embedded hydrogel wound dressing successfully created by 3D plotting. • Purified phages lysed 99% bacteria in 2 h and stable under physiological conditions. • 0.03% bacteriophages released from dressing reduced 57% of bacteria in 2 h. • Lytic phages released from dressing exhibited antibacterial activity for up to 24 h. • Phage-embedded dressings are compatible with fibroblast cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wound healing is an intricate and ever-evolving phenomenon that involves a series of biological processes and multiple stages. Despite the growing utilization of nanoparticles to enhance wound healing, these approaches often overlook properties like mechanical stability, toxicity, and efficacy. Hence, a multifunctional wound dressing is fabricated using Chitosan-PVA membrane crosslinked with vanillin and reinforced with nano-cellulose and CuO-Ag nanoparticles in this study. FTIR, SEM, and XRD were employed to study the morphology and structural properties of the membrane. Biomedical tests including biodegradability, antimicrobial study, cytotoxicity, and animal models were conducted to evaluate the membrane's performance as a wound healing material. The membrane displayed impressive mechanical strength, measuring as high as 49.985 ± 2.31 MPa, and had a hydrophilic nature, with moisture retention values up to 98.84 % and swelling percentages as high as 191.67 %. It also demonstrated biodegradable properties and high cell viability of up to 92.30 %. Additionally, the fabricated membranes exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, with maximum zone of inhibition measuring 16.8 ± 0.7 mm and 9.2 ± 0.1 mm, respectively. Moreover, the membranes also demonstrated superior wound healing properties. These results suggested great potential of fabricated membranes as an effective wound dressing material. [Display omitted] • Multifunctional dressing material for wound healing developed. • Membrane showed impressive mechanical strength (49.985 MPa). • High moisture retention (98.84 %) and swelling (191.67 %). • Membrane exhibited biodegradability and high cell viability (92.30 %). • Excellent antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infection is one of several factors that can delay normal wound healing. Antibacterial wound dressings can therefore promote normal wound healing. In this study, we prepared an antibacterial wound dressing, consisting of visible light-cured methacrylated collagen (ColMA) hydrogel and a 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD)/triclosan (TCS) complex (CD-ic-TCS), and evaluated its wound healing effects in vivo. The 1H NMR spectra of ColMA and CD-ic-TCS revealed characteristic peaks at 1.73, 5.55, 5.94, 6.43, 6.64, 6.84, 6.95, 7.31, and 7.55 ppm, indicating successful preparation of the two material types. In addition, ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy proved an inclusion complex formation between HP-β-CD and TCS, judging by a unique peak observed at 280 cm−1. Furthermore, ColMA/CD-ic-TCS exhibited an interconnected porous structure, controlled release of TCS, good biocompatibility, and antibacterial activity. By in vivo animal testing, we found that ColMA/CD-ic-TCS had a superior wound healing capacity, compared to the other hydrocolloids evaluated, due to synergistic interaction between ColMA and CD-ic-TCS. Together, our findings indicate that ColMA/CD-ic-TCS has a clinical potential as an antibacterial wound dressing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]