Antimicrobial hydrogels: promising materials for medical application

Abstract

The rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic microbes is becoming an imminent global public health problem. Local application of antibiotics might be a solution. In local application, materials need to act as the drug delivery system. The drug delivery system should be biodegradable and prolonged antibacterial effect should be provided to satisfy clinical demand. Hydrogel is a promising material for local antibacterial application. Hydrogel refers to a kind of biomaterial synthesized by a water-soluble natural polymer or a synthesized polymer, which turns into gel according to the change in different signals such as temperature, ionic strength, pH, ultraviolet exposure etc. Because of its high hydrophilicity, unique three-dimensional network, fine biocompatibility and cell adhesion, hydrogel is one of the suitable biomaterials for drug delivery in antimicrobial areas. In this review, studies from the past 5 years were reviewed, and several types of antimicrobial hydrogels according to different ingredients, different preparations, different antimicrobial mechanisms, different antimicrobial agents they contained and different applications, were summarized. The hydrogels loaded with metal nanoparticles as a potential method to solve antibiotic resistance were highlighted. Finally, future prospects of development and application of antimicrobial hydrogels are suggested.

Treating Polymicrobial Infections in Chronic Diabetic Wounds

“…These delivery systems are nontoxic to keratinocytes, a type of skin cell (101). A detailed discussion of applications of hydrogels as a scaffold for the delivery of antibiotics or antibiotic substitutes has been reported elsewhere (102).…”

Synthesis and Characterization of pH‐sensitive Poly(IA‐co‐AAc‐co‐AAm) Hydrogels via Frontal Polymerization

“…Gels with three‐dimensional polymeric networks are regarded as a key component in the development of science and technology for their widespread applications in biomedical fields, such as wound healing, cell encapsulation, tissue engineering, sensors, and drug delivery systems . In general, these materials have been investigated extensively owing to their similar physiochemical and biocompatible with soft tissues .…”

Optoregulated Drug Release from an Engineered Living Material: Self‐Replenishing Drug Depots for Long‐Term, Light‐Regulated Delivery

“…These results illustrate the limits of this system, which need to be addressed for a clinical application. While the currently described system is unsuitable for application inside the body, it could be acceptable for skin‐based therapies and cosmetics that would also be able to utilize light‐responsive properties most effectively. Modifying the system to produce other drugs such as cinnamaldehyde and carbapenem that have shown to be optimally synthesized at 37 °C in E. coli and secreted without the requirement of solubilizers could be considered for in vivo clinical applications.…”

“…Since the current system for the production of deoxyviolacein requires incubation temperatures ≈30 °C and addition of the surfactant Genapol C200 for secretion of the drug from E. coli , possible applications of this system would be limited to skin‐based therapies and cosmetic treatments. For instance, the current system could be developed as dVio‐releasing adhesive pads, similar to antimicrobial agent releasing hydrogel dressings, or cosmetic formulations, similar to probiotic‐containing cosmetics, for the topical treatment of microbial infections such as acne and impetigo. Short‐term light tunability and controlled release of the drug would enable the system to be easily adapted for patient‐ and disease‐specific requirements.…”