Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 1, 2025
Doxycycline Loaded Collagen-Chitosan Composite Scaffold for the Accelerated Healing of Diabetic Wounds
Published on: August 21, 2021
Phloroglucinol Derivative Carbomer Hydrogel Accelerates MRSA-Infected Wounds' Healing
Xiaosu Huang1, Junhua Yang2, Renyue Zhang3
1School of Nursing, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Abstract:
Globally, wound infection is considered to be one of the major healthcare problems, with bacterial infections being the most critical threat, leading to poor and delayed wound healing, and even death. As a superbug, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causes a profound hazard to public health safety, prompting us to search for alternative treatment approaches. Herein, the MTT test and Hoechst/propidium iodide (PI) staining demonstrated that PD was slightly less toxic to human fibroblasts including Human keratinocytes (HaCaT) cell line than Silver sulfadiazine (SSD), and Vancomycin (Van). In the MRSA-infected wound model, PD hydrogel (1%, 2.5%) was applied with for 14 days. The wound healing of PD hydrogel groups was superior to the SSD, Van, and control groups. Remarkably, the experimental results showed that PD reduced the number of skin bacteria, reduced inflammation, and upregulated the expression of PCNA (keratinocyte proliferation marker) and CD31 (angiogenesis manufacturer) at the wound site by histology (including hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, Masson staining) and immunohistochemistry. Additionally, no toxicity, hemocompatibility or histopathological changes to organs were observed. Altogether, these results suggested the potential of PD hydrogel as a safe, effective, and low toxicity hydrogel for the future clinical treatment of MRSA-infected wounds.
Insights
PD hydrogel shows promise for treating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infected wounds. This novel hydrogel demonstrated superior wound healing, reduced bacterial load, and minimal toxicity in preclinical models.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Wound Healing Research
- Antimicrobial Therapy
Background:
- Wound infections, particularly those caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), pose significant global health challenges.
- Effective treatments are needed to combat MRSA and promote optimal wound healing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy and safety of PD hydrogel as a potential treatment for MRSA-infected wounds.
- To compare PD hydrogel's performance against standard treatments like Silver sulfadiazine (SSD) and Vancomycin (Van).
Main Methods:
- In vitro cytotoxicity assays (MTT, Hoechst/PI staining) using human fibroblasts and HaCaT cells.
- In vivo MRSA-infected wound model treated with PD hydrogel (1%, 2.5%) for 14 days.
- Histological analysis (HE, Masson staining) and immunohistochemistry to assess wound healing, inflammation, and cellular markers (PCNA, CD31).
Main Results:
- PD hydrogel exhibited lower cytotoxicity to human fibroblasts compared to SSD and Van.
- PD hydrogel treatment significantly improved wound healing in the MRSA-infected model compared to control and standard treatments.
- PD hydrogel reduced bacterial load, decreased inflammation, and promoted keratinocyte proliferation and angiogenesis at the wound site.
- No observed toxicity, hemocompatibility issues, or organ histopathological changes.
Conclusions:
- PD hydrogel demonstrates potential as a safe, effective, and low-toxicity therapeutic agent for clinical treatment of MRSA-infected wounds.
- Further research into PD hydrogel could lead to advanced wound care solutions for challenging infections.
