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Antibacterial Hydrogels Derived from Poly(γ-glutamic acid) Nanofibers.
Hamidreza Kasbiyan1, Omid Yousefzade1, Estelle Simiand1
1Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Escola d'Enginyeria de Barcelona Est-EEBE, c/Eduard Maristany 10-14, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08019 Barcelona, Spain.
Gels (Basel, Switzerland)
|February 24, 2022
Summary
New biocompatible hydrogels made from gamma-polyglutamic acid (γ-PGA) show strong antibacterial properties. These hydrogels effectively deliver antibacterial agents like bacteriophages, offering promising wound healing applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Biocompatible hydrogels are crucial for wound healing and drug delivery.
- Developing hydrogels with inherent antibacterial properties is a key challenge.
- Gamma-polyglutamic acid (γ-PGA) offers a promising natural polymer base for such applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prepare and characterize biocompatible hydrogels from γ-PGA with antibacterial properties.
- To investigate the loading and release of various antibacterial agents, including bacteriophages.
- To evaluate the structural and antibacterial performance of both bulk and electrospun γ-PGA hydrogels.
Main Methods:
- Electrospinning of γ-PGA in trifluoroacetic acid to create nanofibers.
- Crosslinking of γ-PGA hydrogels using cystamine.
- Loading of antibacterial agents: triclosan (TCS), chlorhexidine (CHX), polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB), and bacteriophages.
- Characterization of hydrogel morphology (bulk vs. electrospun) and pore structure.
- In vitro release studies of loaded antibacterial agents.
- Assessment of bacteriophage viability and antibacterial activity.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated γ-PGA nanofibers and bulk hydrogels with controlled structures.
- Electrospun nanofibers exhibited an open, consistent structure, modified by crosslinking.
- Bulk hydrogels presented a closed pore structure.
- Release kinetics of TCS, CHX, PHMB, and bacteriophages were dependent on medium hydrophobicity and crosslinker concentration.
- Hydrogels demonstrated high efficiency in loading bacteriophages while preserving their activity.
Conclusions:
- γ-PGA based hydrogels, in both bulk and electrospun forms, possess significant antibacterial potential.
- These materials can effectively encapsulate and release diverse antibacterial agents, including bacteriophages.
- The structural characteristics and release profiles can be tuned by controlling crosslinking and environmental conditions.
- The developed hydrogels show promise as advanced wound dressings and antimicrobial delivery systems.
