Rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains
has posed
a global threat to public health. Hospital-acquired infections, especially
in diabetic and burn patients, severely impede the process of wound
healing, thereby causing high mortality. This calls for developing
a new biomaterial that synergistically destroys pathogenic strains
and also helps in promoting wound healing without causing any resistance
generation. A new and highly potent antibacterial agent has been developed
by integrating the bactericidal and wound healing properties of MoS2 nanosheets and a recently developed quaternized polysaccharide,
pullulan (CP), into a single nanoplatform for accelerated wound therapy.
MoS2 nanosheets are noncovalently functionalized with quaternized
pullulan to yield glycosheets (MCP) that efficiently eradicate both
Gram-negative Escherichia coli (5 μg/mL)
and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (10 μg/mL) within a short period of 4 h, through a synergistic
action of membrane damage and chemical oxidation. MoS2 nanosheets
coupled with CP exert a membrane-directed bactericidal action through
distinct mechanisms of “pore-forming” and “non-pore-forming”
pathways, respectively, whereas oxidative stress is induced by MoS2 nanosheets alone to collectively kill the pathogens. The
MCP glycosheets have good biocompatibility and are also capable of
disrupting and eradicating mature biofilms. Rapid and highly efficient in vivo wound disinfection and healing occurred upon MCP
treatment through the reduction of inflammation and promotion of cellular
proliferation and tissue remodeling. Thus, MCP glycosheets can emerge
as a safe and potential biomaterial for better wound care management.