Robust rapid-setting antibacterial liquid bandages

Abstract

Bandaging is a steadfast but time-consuming component of wound care with limited technical advancements to date. Bandages must be changed and infection risk managed. Rapid-set liquid bandages are efficient alternatives but lack durability or inherent infection control. We show here that antibacterial zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) species greatly enhance the barrier properties of the natural, waterproof, bio-adhesive polymer, shellac. The material demonstrated marked antibacterial contact properties and, in ex-vivo studies, effectively locked-in pre-applied therapeutics. When challenged in vivo with the polybacterial bovine wound infection ‘digital dermatitis’, Zn/Cu-shellac adhered rapidly and robustly over pre-applied antibiotic. The bandage self-degraded, appropriately, over 7 days despite extreme conditions (faecal slurry). Treatment was well-tolerated and clinical improvement was observed in animal mobility. This new class of bandage has promise for challenging topical situations in humans and other animals, especially away from controlled, sterile clinical settings where wounds urgently require protection from environmental and bacterial contamination.

Spray Film-Forming systems as promising topical in situ Systems: A review

“…As mentioned earlier, the exposure time of the spray film-forming system can vary over a wide range (from a few hours to 7 days), depending on the consistency of the final form, its constituent polymers ( Bastos, et al, 2020 ). Thus, film-forming systems in general, as a dosage form, can be a versatile solution for clinical practice, providing the ability to choose the density of the formed coating, depending on the purpose.…”

“…In some works ( Park et al, 2018 , Dai et al, 2015 , Chen et al, 2020 ), the use of terminology characteristic of dressings (“bandage”, “dressing”) is conditioned by the need to emphasize in this way the structural features of the form formed in situ . Often such systems have the final appearance of a dense, durable, rigid coating that is applied to the wound surface for a long time (up to 7 days) ( Thomas, 1993 , Bastos et al, 2020 ). However, quite often the term “liquid bandage”, for example, does not carry such a semantic load.…”

Bioinspired Natural Shellac Dressing for Rapid Wound Sealing and Healing

“…As an alternative wound healing material, the Limmatvapirat research group developed shellac nanofibers with potential antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus . Jonathan et al added the antibacterial properties of zinc and copper to shellac to create a new class of dressing that self-degraded properly over 7 days under extreme conditions . These studies show that shellac has great potential to develop into a multifunctional dressing.…”