<p>Montmorillonite-norfloxacin nanocomposite intended for healing of infected wounds</p>

Abstract

Background: Chronic cutaneous wounds represent a major issue in medical care and are often prone to infections. Purpose: The aim of this study was the design of a clay mineral-drug nanocomposite based on montmorillonite and norfloxacin (NF, antimicrobial drug) as a powder for cutaneous application, to enhance wound healing in infected skin lesions. Methods: The nanocomposite has been prepared by means of an intercalation solution procedure. Adsorption isotherm, solid-state characterization of the nanocomposite, drug loading capacity and its release have been performed. Moreover, cytocompatibility, in vitro fibroblast proliferation and antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus were assessed. Results: The clay drug adsorption isotherm demonstrates that the mechanism of NF intercalation into montmorillonite galleries is the adsorption as one single process, due to the charge–charge interaction between protonated NF and negatively charged montmorillonite edges in the interlayer space. Nanocomposite is biocompatible and it is characterized by antimicrobial activity greater than the free drug: this is due to its nanostructure and controlled drug release properties. Conclusion: Considering the results obtained, NF–montmorillonite nanocomposite seems a promising tool to treat infected skin lesions or skin wounds prone to infection, as chronic ulcers (diabetic foot, venous leg ulcers) and burns.

Norfloxacin-Loaded Electrospun Scaffolds: Montmorillonite Nanocomposite vs. Free Drug

“…PUL solution was prepared in distilled water and CS or HA were added to PUL, thus preparing three different solutions: PUL; PUL/CS and PUL/HA. N, as a free drug, or loaded in a hybrid system (H) (nanocomposite based on VHS and N [8]), was mixed with PUL, PUL/CS or PUL/HA. Then, CH was hydrated in acetic acid and CA was added.…”

“…The antimicrobial activity of norfloxacin-loaded scaffolds, either as free drug, N, or in nanocomposite, H, was evaluated against two bacteria strains-Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442. In particular, killing time was determined as the exposure time required to kill a standardized microbial inoculum [8,10,23]. Bacteria used for killing time evaluation were grown overnight in Tryptone Soya Broth (Oxoid, Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK) at 37 • C. The bacteria cultures were centrifuged at 2000 rpm for 20 min to separate the cells from the broth and then suspended in phosphate buffer saline (PBS, pH 7.3).…”

“…Moreover, the nanocomposite was The complete overlapping of the spectra supported the stability of the drug in the heating treatment. In a previous work [8], norfloxacin was loaded in montmorillonite, a phyllosilicate widely used in pharmaceutical field, to obtain a nanocomposite. This was prepared by means of the adsorption mechanism, as one single process, and the clay-drug adsorption isotherm was calculated.…”

Halloysite- and Montmorillonite-Loaded Scaffolds as Enhancers of Chronic Wound Healing

“…Both MMT and HNT are phyllosilicates, having a planar and rolled structure, respectively. Nanocomposites, based on these biomaterials, have been developed to tune cell adhesion and their biocompatibility [8][9][10][11]. The cell interaction with clays remain unclear and not fully understood, and only a few recent studies have attempted to shed light on this interaction [7,12].…”

Antioxidant Materials Based on 2D Nanostructures: A Review on Recent Progresses

“…In addition, 2D materials possess unusual electronic, mechanical and optical properties and hence, they can be used as building blocks in a wide range of composites. Concerning the contemporary applications of 2D compounds, they serve as efficient catalysts for water splitting [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] or organic reactions [16][17][18][19][20][21], drug carriers [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31], sensors [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39], materials for energy production and storage [2,15,21,[40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49] or adsorbers [50]…”