Highly Absorbent Antibacterial and Biofilm-Disrupting Hydrogels from Cellulose for Wound Dressing Applications

Abstract

In this study, a carboxyl-modified cellulosic hydrogel was developed as the base material for wound dressings. ε-poly-l-lysine, a natural polyamide, was then covalently linked to the hydrogel through a bioconjugation reaction, which was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). The antibacterial efficacy of the hydrogel was tested against two model bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, two of the most commonly found bacteria in wound infections. Bacterial viability and biofilm formation after exposure of bacteria to the hydrogels were used as efficacy indicators. Live/Dead assay was used to measure the number of compromised bacteria using a confocal laser scanning microscope. The results show that the antibacterial hydrogel was able to kill approximately 99% of the exposed bacteria after 3 h of exposure. In addition, NIH/3T3 fibroblasts were used to study the biocompatibility of the developed hydrogels. Water-soluble tetrazolium salt (WST)-1 assay was used to measure the metabolic activity of the cells and Live/Dead assay was used to measure the viability of the cells after 24, 48, and 72 h. The developed antibacterial hydrogels are light weight, have a high water-uptake capacity, and show high biocompatibility with the model mammalian cells, which make them a promising candidate to be used for wound dressing applications.

L‐Arg‐Rich Amphiphilic Dendritic Peptide as a Versatile NO Donor for NO/Photodynamic Synergistic Treatment of Bacterial Infections and Promoting Wound Healing

“…The different antibacterial activities of Ce6@Arg‐ADP+laser may be related to the different cell membrane structures of the two bacteria. E. coli has a thicker outer membrane, which makes it to be more robust; [ 60 ] 2) The antibacterial activity of Ce6@Lys‐ADP+laser against the two species of bacteria is greater than that of Ce6+laser in all tested concentrations, which can be attributed to the enhanced bacterial association of Ce6@Lys‐ADP+laser compared with that of Ce6+laser (Figure 1e,f), in addition to the inherent and relatively limited antibacterial activity of l ‐lysine‐rich dendrimers (Figure 1h); [ 61 ] 3) The combination of PDT and NO does have a notable synergistic antibacterial effect, as evidenced by the antibacterial effect of Ce6@Arg‐ADP+laser against E. coli and MRSA being always 20% higher that than of Ce6@Lys‐ADP+laser, especially at nanoparticles concentration of ≤16 µg mL −1 .…”

Functionalization and Antibacterial Applications of Cellulose-Based Composite Hydrogels

“…The abuse and misuse of antibiotics have led to the emergence of a large number of drug-resistant bacteria in recent decades, which has introduced severe challenges into the medical and health field [80]. As a consequence, it is urgent to develop new substitutes for antibiotics.…”

“…The ε-poly-L-lysine (PLL)was adopted to provide antibacterial activity for cellulosebased hydrogels. Tavakolian et al [80] prepared a carboxylated cellulose hydrogel carrying PLL by covalent cross-linking of carboxylated cellulose with natural antibacterial agent PLL. The antibacterial properties of the hydrogel against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus were tested by a variety of bacteriostatic experiments.…”

Nanostructured Lipid Carriers-Hydrogels System for Drug Delivery: Nanohybrid Technology Perspective

“…According to the previously cited authors, hydrogel has been used as a technology to deliver products suitable for medical use, particularly in wound management. Hydrogels generate a moist environment and good fluid absorbance conducive to a successful wound healing process [ 77 , 78 ]. Furthermore, hydrogel pharmaceutical preparations are preferred over creams due to their higher water content in the form of gels, which aids in pain reduction when applied, particularly to mucous membranes or injured or burned skin [ 79 ].…”