Peptide-Cellulose Conjugates on Cotton-Based Materials Have Protease Sensor/Sequestrant Activity

Abstract

The growing incidence of chronic wounds in the world population has prompted increased interest in chronic wound dressings with protease-modulating activity and protease point of care sensors to treat and enable monitoring of elevated protease-based wound pathology. However, the overall design features needed for the combination of a chronic wound dressing that lowers protease activity along with protease detection capability as a single platform for semi-occlusive dressings has scarcely been addressed. The interface of dressing and sensor specific properties (porosity, permeability, moisture uptake properties, specific surface area, surface charge, and detection) relative to sensor bioactivity and protease sequestrant performance is explored here. Measurement of the material’s zeta potential demonstrated a correlation between negative charge and the ability of materials to bind positively charged Human Neutrophil Elastase. Peptide-cellulose conjugates as protease substrates prepared on a nanocellulosic aerogel were assessed for their compatibility with chronic wound dressing design. The porosity, wettability and absorption capacity of the nanocellulosic aerogel were consistent with values observed for semi-occlusive chronic wound dressing designs. The relationship of properties that effect dressing functionality and performance as well as impact sensor sensitivity are discussed in the context of the enzyme kinetics. The sensor sensitivity of the aerogel-based sensor is contrasted with current clinical studies on elastase. Taken together, comparative analysis of the influence of molecular features on the physical properties of three forms of cellulosic transducer surfaces provides a meaningful assessment of the interface compatibility of cellulose-based sensors and corresponding protease sequestrant materials for potential use in chronic wound sensor/dressing design platforms.

Versatile Application of Nanocellulose: From Industry to Skin Tissue Engineering and Wound Healing

“…The use of various cellulose-based nanocarriers, such as bacterial cellulose, cellulose acetate, microcrystalline cellulose, CMC, cellulose nanocrystals, cellulose nanofibrils, etc., in drug delivery systems for cancer treatment has been reviewed in [ 291 ]. Advanced “intelligent” nanocellulose-based wound dressings were combined with biosensors, e.g., for human neutrophil elastase present in chronic wound fluid [ 121 , 292 , 293 ].…”

An Opinion Paper on Aerogels for Biomedical and Environmental Applications

“…For wound healing, the use of aerogels allows the local formation of a wet gel into the lesion keeping proper exudate equilibrium at the wound, thus avoiding the traumatic removal from perilesional skin of conventional products. Biocompatible cellulose aerogels equipped with a short fluorescent peptide motive have been demonstrated to be promising protease sensing and sequestering dressings for chronic wounds [63,64]. The incorporation of aerogels in advanced dressings for wound healing [9,10,11] aims to become a high growth technology for the market of advanced bioactive dressings representing ca.…”

Nanocellulose in Biotechnology and Medicine: Focus on Skin Tissue Engineering and Wound Healing

“…Advanced "intelligent" nanocellulose-based wound dressings were combined with biosensors, e.g. for human neutrophil elastase present in chronic wound fluid [120,270,271].…”