4.7 Article

Eradication of Mature Bacterial Biofilms with Concurrent Improvement in Chronic Wound Healing Using Silver Nanoparticle Hydrogel Treatment

Journal

BIOMEDICINES
Volume 9, Issue 9, Pages -

Publisher

MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9091182

Keywords

wound infection; antibiofilm hydrogel; AgNP hydrogel; stimuli responsive hydrogel; wound healing; controlled release; wound biofilm eradication; mature biofilm

Funding

  1. ARC [DP15104212]
  2. NHMRC [APP1122825, APP1032738]
  3. Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for Fellowship for Experienced Researchers
  4. NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship [1102617]
  5. Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation Fellowship
  6. DEBRA Australia Research Grant

Ask authors/readers for more resources

The development of highly potent ultrasmall AgNPs combined with a biocompatible hydrogel has shown promising results in eliminating mature biofilm infections in vivo and promoting wound healing. The treatment exhibited superior antibacterial efficacy and improved wound closure, re-epithelization, and collagen deposition compared to conventional silver-based treatments.
Biofilm-associated infections are a major cause of impaired wound healing. Despite the broad spectrum of anti-bacterial benefits provided by silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), these materials still cause controversy due to cytotoxicity and a lack of efficacy against mature biofilms. Herein, highly potent ultrasmall AgNPs were combined with a biocompatible hydrogel with integrated synergistic functionalities to facilitate elimination of clinically relevant mature biofilms in-vivo combined with improved wound healing capacity. The delivery platform showed a superior release mechanism, reflected by high biocompatibility, hemocompatibility, and extended antibacterial efficacy. In vivo studies using the S. aureus wound biofilm model showed that the AgNP hydrogel (200 mu g/g) was highly effective in eliminating biofilm infection and promoting wound repair compared to the controls, including silver sulfadiazine (Ag SD). Treatment of infected wounds with the AgNP hydrogel resulted in faster wound closure (46% closure compared to 20% for Ag SD) and accelerated wound re-epithelization (60% for AgNP), as well as improved early collagen deposition. The AgNP hydrogel did not show any toxicity to tissue and/or organs. These findings suggest that the developed AgNP hydrogel has the potential to be a safe wound treatment capable of eliminating infection and providing a safe yet effective strategy for the treatment of infected wounds.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.7
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available