Aramid Nanofibers-Reinforced Rhein Fibrous Hydrogels as Antibacterial and Anti-Inflammatory Burn Wound Dressings

Abstract

Burn injuries are one of the most devastating traumas. The development of polymer-based hydrogel dressings to prevent bacterial infection and accelerate burn wound healing is continuously desired. Mechanical strong hydrogels that encapsulated antibacterial drugs have gained increasing attention. Herein, aramid nanofibers (ANFs)-reinforced rhein fibrous hydrogels (ANFs/Rhein) were fabricated through a one-pot procedure to serve as a possible treatment for the Staphylococcus aureus-infected burn wound. ANFs preserved the highly aligned backbones and the mechanical properties of Kevlar, and its combination with an antibacterial drug rhein produced a composite hydrogel that possesses favorable physicochemical properties including appropriate mechanical strength, high water holding capacity, satisfactory antibacterial efficiency, and excellent biocompatibility. As wound dressings, ANFs/Rhein hydrogels provided a moist environment for the wound site and released antibacterial drugs continuously to improve the wound healing rate by efficiently restraining bacterial infection, reducing inflammation, enhancing collagen deposition, and promoting the formation of blood vessels, in this way to offer a potential treatment strategy for bacteria-associated burn wound healing.

Research on the wound healing effect of Shengji Huayu Formula ethanol extract-derived fractions in streptozotocin-induced diabetic ulcer rats

“…Aloe-emodin was found to promote wound healing by regulating exosome release [ 45 ]. Rhein improved wound healing by decreasing inflammation and stimulating collagen deposition [ 46 ]. Similarly, imperatorin was confirmed to improve wound healing by increasing the secretion of VEGF, EGF and TGF-β1, thereby facilitating re-epithelization [ 47 ].…”

Durable and Nontoxic Natural Rubber-Based Composites with Antibacterial Properties

“…The bactericidal properties of pure NR (5 cm × 5 × cm 0.2 cm) and whiskers/NR composites (5 cm × 5 cm × 0.2 cm) were studied using the film sticking method. The number of bacterial colony-forming units in the samples was calculated by the direct microscopic counting method. − The formula of the bactericidal rate is as follows b actericidal rate false( % false) = ( false( R − C false) / C ) × 100 % where R and C are the number of colony-forming units of pure NR and the whiskers/NR composites, respectively.…”

Rhein for treating diabetes mellitus: A pharmacological and mechanistic overview

“…Researchers have begun to improve the absorption efficiency and bioavailability of rhein by altering the drug delivery route, using liposomes, nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, polymeric micelles, and hydrogels, among others ( Cheng et al, 2021 ; Li et al, 2022 ). F127 modified liposomal rhein (F127-RPC-Lip) exhibits longer systemic circulation time, better drug distribution, and reduced pancreatic injury after complexation with lipids via non-covalent interactions.…”