Quaternary Pullulan-Functionalized 2D MoS2 Glycosheets: A Potent Bactericidal Nanoplatform for Efficient Wound Disinfection and Healing

Rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant bacterial strainshas poseda global threat to public health. Hospital-acquired infections, especiallyin diabetic and burn patients, severely impede the process of woundhealing, thereby causing high mortality. This calls for developinga new biomaterial that synergistically destroys pathogenic strainsand also helps in promoting wound healing without causing any resistancegeneration. A new and highly potent antibacterial agent has been developedby 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 quaternizedpullulan to yield glycosheets (MCP) that efficiently eradicate bothGram-negative Escherichia coli (5 mu g/mL)and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (10 mu g/mL) within a short period of 4 h, through a synergisticaction of membrane damage and chemical oxidation. MoS2 nanosheetscoupled with CP exert a membrane-directed bactericidal action throughdistinct mechanisms of pore-forming and non-pore-formingpathways, respectively, whereas oxidative stress is induced by MoS2 nanosheets alone to collectively kill the pathogens. TheMCP glycosheets have good biocompatibility and are also capable ofdisrupting and eradicating mature biofilms. Rapid and highly efficient in vivo wound disinfection and healing occurred upon MCPtreatment through the reduction of inflammation and promotion of cellularproliferation and tissue remodeling. Thus, MCP glycosheets can emergeas a safe and potential biomaterial for better wound care management.

Automated summary

The rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains poses a global threat to public health. Hospital-acquired infections in diabetic and burn patients impede wound healing and result in high mortality. Researchers have developed a new biomaterial, MCP glycosheets, that synergistically destroys pathogenic strains and promotes wound healing. These glycosheets efficiently eradicate both Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus within a short period of time, leading to rapid and highly efficient in vivo wound disinfection and healing.