Design of a bactericidal hydrogel scaffold containing genipin crosslinked HF‐18 peptide

Abstract

Wound healing is a process getting affected by internal and external factors and might be interrupted by infections. To overcome infections during wound healing, novel antibacterial agents such as antimicrobial peptides have gained popularity because of the rising antibiotic resistance. Therefore, in this study, a three‐dimensional polymeric scaffold was designed for the controlled release of HF‐18 peptide, with the contribution of hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, and chitosan polymers with the crosslinker genipin. The obtained scaffold structure (OPT) was found to have interconnected pores, was pH‐responsive and swelled more in acidic conditions (5446.5% at pH: 5.0). It was observed that HF‐18‐loaded OPT (P‐OPT) was able to release HF‐18 peptide both in acidic and neutral conditions in a controlled release manner. This study also demonstrated that both OPT and P‐OPT were biocompatible and promoted L929 cell attachment and migration. Antimicrobial activity assessments demonstrated that P‐OPT was effectively bactericidal on Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin‐resistant S. aureus. Moreover, OPT produced a synergistic effect on the antimicrobial activity of HF‐18 peptide, as P‐OPT showed activity below the reported MIC value. As a result, OPT is considered a promising scaffold as a carrier for HF‐18 for wound healing.

Disintegration and Machine-Learning-Assisted Identification of Bacteria on Antimicrobial and Plasmonic Ag–CuxO Nanostructures

“…As a result, the treatment of bacterial infections has become progressively more difficult and new approaches are needed to combat this issue. Recently, researchers have been exploring alternatives, such as antimicrobial peptides, immune system mimetic artificial macrophages, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generating biocatalytic nanomaterials, , and ion-releasing metallic nanocomposites as efficient non-antibiotic antibacterial strategies to combat bacteria. Most of these studies aim to kill the bacteria after they have interacted with the host cells.…”